Midson out at Sheppey United

 

Sheppey United have made a surprising decision to change their manager during pre-season.

Jack Midson, who led the team to the brink of the Isthmian South East play-offs in his first year as manager, has left his role at Sheppey United. The club announced his departure on Friday morning.

A statement from the club said that the decision to part ways with Midson was a difficult one, and they expressed their gratitude for his efforts during his 11-month tenure as the first-team manager. As Sheppey United begins the search for a new manager, coach Ross Wiles will take charge for their upcoming match against Canterbury City this Saturday.

Last season, Midson took over from Ernie Batten just days before the start of the 2022/23 campaign. Batten had led the team to an unprecedented quadruple trophy success, including winning the Southern Counties East Premier Division title. Midson faced the challenge of following in Batten’s footsteps and experienced a slow start to the season. However, the team showed improvement in the second half, finishing seventh and coming within two points of the top five.

During the summer, Midson aimed to retain the core of last season’s squad but lost Warren Mfula to Faversham. He secured the return of striker Dan Bradshaw from Chatham as a replacement. Additionally, Midson had been the club’s academy director, working in partnership with the Cornwallis Academy in Maidstone. However, a new agreement was reached at the end of June, resulting in Midson stepping down from that role and being replaced by Soccer Elite FA.

Midson’s final game as manager was a friendly against Bowers & Pitsea, which was abandoned due to an injury to an opposition player. Sheppey United’s Isthmian League season is scheduled to commence on August 12 with an away match against Broadbridge Heath. The club’s chairman, Matt Smith, is now actively seeking a new manager for the team.

Main Photo: Marc Richards

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