Workington Reds have parted company with manager Chris Willcock after 10 months in charge.
The Stalybridge-based Willcock was handed the reins when Danny Grainger left to take on an assistant manager’s role with Falkirk in June.
Today Reds have announced that they are not going to renew Willcock’s 12-month contract as manager.
The club say that the search for a replacement starts immediately, and already Grainger has been installed as the bookies favourite to return to Borough Park.
The former Carlisle United skipper had left Falkirk in December after a short spell as caretaker manager.
He had led Reds to the top of the NPL West table in his debut season as a manager but COVID caused it to be abandoned in March with the Cumbrians 10 points clear.
The second season was much shorter but Grainger had his team challenging in third place.
Willcock looked as though he was going to make it third-time lucky for a Reds promotion as the club was top for several weeks of the season just ended, and never out of the top four.
He had achieved that despite the most debilitating injury list the club had previously faced with up to nine senior players out at one time.
There was also a period in February when Reds only played twice and the momentum they had built appeared to stall.
But in the end there was bitter disappointment in the way the season ended.
The inability to win at bottom club Market Drayton on the final day of the season cost them the title.
Then in the play-off semi-final they were seconds away from beating Marine when the Merseysiders equalised and won the tie in extra-time.
The Reds statement said: “Following a disappointing end to an otherwise successful season, on and off the pitch, the board have taken the decision not to renew the contract of Chris Willcock for the 22/23 season.
“This was a difficult decision as the club narrowly missed out on automatic promotion as league champions and promotion via the play-offs. However, we believe a change in direction will give us the best chance of reaching this target next season.
“The board would like to thank Chris and his family for their hard work and commitment over the past 10 months and wish them every success in his next football venture.
The search for a replacement begins immediately and we hope to have the new manager in place in good time for the start of the new season.”
In the end it was a case of so near, but so far for Willcock, who had been completely committed to the Reds cause throughout his ten-month tenure.
One more goal in the final game of the season would have landed his side the title – such are the margins of success and failure.
Perhaps his greatest contribution was his ability to adequately patch-up the squad during the horrendous injury run – something which few other managers would have been able to do and keep the side at the top.
