The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Title-winning boss John Chand has made a sensational return to Holbeach United as part of a dream managerial team with ex-Wisbech Town chief Steve Appleby.
The duo were installed as the new co-bosses at Carter’s Park on Tuesday after the sudden departure of outgoing supremo Glen Maddison.
Chand, who guided the Tigers to the UCL Premier Division title in 2013 and the Lincs Senior Trophy in both 2012 and 2013, returns to the club almost exactly a year after leaving the hot-seat.
Holbeach fans will also know Appleby well. He represented them as a player, but more recently guided Wisbech to second place in the Ridgeons Premier Division in 2013 and the League Cup two years earlier.
Speaking exclusively to The Voice, Chand said that the duo will split responsibilities right down the middle – and vowed to have the Tigers challenging at the top.
He said: “Myself and the chairman (Dave Dougill) have remained friends since I left.
“He asked me if I’d fancy another crack at the job and it was something that appealed to me a great deal.
“I’m pretty busy, so when doing the job on a joint basis with Steve became an option, it was perfect. We’re very similar in a lot of ways and we’ll call it right down the middle.
“We’ll be able to share the burden a little and I think the arrangement will suit us down to the ground.
“Between us we have a pretty big pool of contacts – so it won’t be like when I first started at the club all those years ago.
“We’ll be in it to win it and hope to build a team that can compete at the top end of the table.
“The only aim right now is to create a buzz, get the big crowds back to Carter’s Park…and maybe get some of the old crazy gang back together. It’s going to be an exciting summer.”
A Holbeach club statement added: “We feel very fortunate that two men of the stature of John Chand and Steve Appleby were available to step in after the departure Glen Maddison this week.
“We’d like to offer a warm welcome back to two former Tigers and hope that everyone at the club will get behind them in their new roles.”
