Budleigh Salterton have appointed a new management team, with Chris ‘Curly’ Watts and Simon Pearce taking on the job as joint-bosses.
Budleigh chairman Matt Hughes made the decision after interviewing a number of ‘excellent’ candidates following the departure of former manager Dan Carthew due to work commitments.
Watts and Pearce can now set about the task of building and preparing a squad for the new Devon Football League season.
“We have Chris and Simon as joint managers at Budleigh Salterton,” said Hughes. “Many people will know Curly Watts from his time as manager at Exmouth Town Reserves and someone who has played a lot of football over the years.
“When I was with the Town first-team, Chris was with the reserves, so I know him from the past.
“Simon was the East Budleigh Reserves manager last season and I was very impressed with both of them in the interview.
“They are both very ambitious and they were able to describe how they would be able to bring the values and expectations we are looking for at Budleigh.
“I met with quite a few people over the past week and it was really pleasing to have so many expressions of interest, some of whom were of a really good calibre.
“Chris and Simon fit in with the community aspect we want at Budleigh, and they are very keen to develop a young side with local talent given the chance to impress.
“They came as a package and the concept of joint managers does make sense. They know each other from East Budleigh and they thought this would be a great opportunity for both of them.
“Together, they feel it is a partnership that can bring success and being a first-team manager at a club like Budleigh does bring a lot of expectation and hard work.
“Having someone to share the load is quite a refreshing approach because it is a really difficult job for a manager in regional football.
“It is so important for any manager to have a strong team around them, providing practical and logistical support.”