Uncertainty as Long Sutton Athletic chief Cawthorn if forced to re-apply for his job

Long Sutton Athletic player/boss Matt Cawthorn admits that he feels a little let down by the club after finding out that he’ll have to re-apply for his own job.

Cawthorn, who stepped up from assistant boss after Danny Goddard’s surprise resignation in March, picked up ten points from his seven ChromaSport PDFL Division One games in sole charge.

That ensured that Sutton ended the campaign in 12th place – a marked improvement on their rock-bottom finish the year before.

Cawthorn – who finished with 30 goals in as many appearances – was initially keen to stay on as chief.

But he now feels that he’ll only throw his hat in the ring should his team-mates want him to carry on.

“Hopefully there’s a lot for the club to look forward to in the future,” said Cawthorn. “Especially if we can keep the majority of the side and add a little more experience.

“For me personally, it’s now a waiting game until the club’s AGM – where the next manager will be assigned.

“This isn’t something I was aware of, as I essentially have to re-apply for the job I’m already doing to stay on.

“Obviously I took control for the last seven games after Dan resigned – and I was prepared to carry on in the role, with the plan being to bring in an assistant and coach to help me.

“I feel a little let down about the uncertainty surrounding the manager’s job – but I will have to re-evaluate and see if the players want me to stay.

“If they do, I will re-apply.”

Cawthorn was hit hard by Goddard’s decision to leave the Magpies in March, especially as the former boss felt undermined after another un-named South Holland manager approached the club about replacing him.

He reluctantly agreed to replace his good friend in the hot-seat, given that the pair put in so much time and effort to drag the club out of the gutter last summer.

The prolific striker reckons that there are plenty of positives for the London Road club to take from the campaign – and hopes that the hard work put in by all will begin to pay-off with better results next season.

Cawthorn added: “Overall it was a very enjoyable first season in management – but also an eye-opener.

“When Dan and I came into the job last summer it was always a long-term plan about bringing stability and a bit of respect back into the way we do things.

“We put in a lot of hard work last summer with regards to getting sponsorships, etc, so the boys had tracksuits, polos and warm-up gear.

“That was before we even started looking at footballing matters. On the pitch it was a very up and down season. At times we were naive and made costly mistakes, but it was all about rebuilding and learning.

“In general, we took a lot of positives from the season – none more so than seeing a few young lads coming through into their first season in men’s football.”

The Sutton AGM is on Tuesday (7pm).