In a Cumbrian football shake-up Kendal Town’s management duo have left the club and joined Penrith.
While in a double blow for the Parkside Road club chairman Jay Rossi has stood down and is also to leave.
Chris Humphrey and assistant Shaun Gardner will be in charge of Penrith on Saturday for their big Northern League Division One relegation battle at Billingham.
Rossi is being replaced as chairman at Kendal by Alvin Finch and will stay on for a short while as advisor while the club are to advertise for a new manager.
Humphrey, 34, told the Cumbria Crack: “People will see the club’s position and think I am running away but that is not the case. I’m proud of some of the things that have happened while I’ve been in charge.
“But I have worked particularly closely during my time with the chairman Jay Rossi and we have more or less decided that we would go out together.
“He has done a terrific job for the club. It has been a particularly difficult, almost impossible task for him. He has had a lot of battles to fight and I just don’t know how he’s managed to cram everything in. He spends virtually all his time at the club and has done so much.
“As manager it has been particularly tough having brought young players in and seeing other clubs putting in seven days notice for them and losing them.
“We had the League’s top scorer and he has gone to City of Liverpool. Our best centre back went to Clitheroe and they have now put in seven days on our left-back.
“To cap it all, our club captain and striker who has been out injured all season so far is the subject of a seven days approach from Ramsbottom. All this obviously stops you from developing a side.
“I decided to put in for the Penrith job, as a new challenge, and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into it. It’s great that Shaun is going with me. He knows the club like the back of his hand and is going to be a big help as he has been at Kendal.”
Chairman Rossi said he had put his heart and soul into running Kendal but it had become an impossible task.
“It was always going to be tough but nobody can say I didn’t give it my best shot. I believe it is in a lot better shape than when I joined the club.
“As Chris has said the continual approaches for players makes it very hard. I think we have lost ten players but on the other side of the coin there have been achievements. One of the lads Chris took on has earned an international call-up and another, having spent time with us, made the bench for Preston first team.
“I’ve a lot of faith in Chris as a manager and I’m sure he’s going to do a great job for Penrith,” he said.
Kendal should have played Marine on Saturday but now have no game as the Merseyside club are still involved in the FA Cup.
