Elliot Sandy has been confirmed as the manager of Spalding United for the 2022/23 season.
Sandy took over as player manager after Brett Whaley was sacked in March when the Tulips hit a dry spell in their fight for the Pitching-In Northern League Midlands Division.
A lack of goals cost them after a strong start to the season but through a tough run in, Sandy helped guide them to third place in the league and a spot in the play-offs.
There they suffered heartache, leading for most of the final at Halesowen Town before conceding an injury time equaliser and losing 2-1 in extra time.
But Sandy has shown enough to be given the job full time by chairman Andrew Killingsworth who has already stated the club’s aim is to get promotion.
A club statement released last week said: “Spalding United Football Club are pleased to announce the appointment of Elliot Sandy as First Team Manager for the 2023/24 season.
“Elliot took over the role on a caretaker basis towards the end of last season, and following a review of all applicants and a number of meetings, the chairman and board of directors have unanimously decided that Elliot and his team are the right people to carry on the club’s progress on the field on a permanent basis.
“Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Elliot on his new role and look forward to supporting him fully as we prepare for the new season.”
Sandy said: “It’s been there for everyone to see that the players have been playing for me, we’ve been playing good football and scoring goals.
“We’ve had some great results in what was a difficult run in against sides all around us and ended up just three minutes from promotion.
“I feel strongly about my attributes and I’ve spoken to a lot of the players who say they definitely want to stay and play for me next season and look to win promotion. That was really nice to hear.”
