By Harry Mottram: In what some will see as inevitable and others see as a shock Bath City FC’s manager Jerry Gill is to leave the club with immediate effect. Nine games without a win and five defeats on the trot has seen his tenure at the club weakened with some fans calling for him to go. Clearly things behind the scenes had taken a turn for the worse for Jerry Gill with the board deciding it was time for him to go.
In a statement issued last night (Monday 18 November 2024) the club clarified the situation:
“After lengthy discussions over the weekend, Bath City FC and Jerry Gill have mutually agreed to part company with immediate effect.
“On behalf of the BCFC Board, Chair Nick Blofeld said; “The club would like to put on record our gratitude to Jerry for his hard work over the past seven years, which saw us reach the play offs three times and win the Somerset Premier Cup. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours”
Jerry said: “It has been an absolute privilege to manage Bath City Football Club for the past seven years. It has been a huge part of my life and I am grateful to Nick and the board for giving me the opportunity. I hope everyone at the club has seen my loyalty throughout my time I have always been fully committed to the project at Bath City.“
Goalkeeping coach Lee Kendall and the senior players will take charge of the team in the short-term, including for tomorrow’s match against Maidstone. The recruitment process for a new manager will begin immediately.
Blofeld said; “We’re grateful that Lee Kendall has agreed to take the team for the next few weeks. We are now focussed on the recruitment process and will be updating the supporters in the near future on this. In the meantime, we hope that fans will come along tomorrow, to show their support and get behind the team.”
A longer statement of thanks from Jerry will be shared later in the week.
The statement was made on social media which led immediately to reactions from fans. One wrote: “Everyone will have their own take on this of course but for me it’s sad to see as he has provided real stability over the last 7 years and it’s no easy job with the limited funds compared with other clubs in the league. Thanks Jerry Gill and Good Luck for the future.”
Although there were a small number of comments welcoming the news and being very derogatory about the departing manager the overwhelming views were of thanks to Gerry. One summed up the feelings for many when he wrote: “All the best Jerry. Some good times over the last 7 years and some big wins but it’s been a struggle this season. Best of luck for the future.”
While another wrote: “Sometimes a manager reaches a point where he has taken a club as far as he can. Reaching playoffs last season was probably overachievement with the resources available and was always going to be hard to repeat. Probably the right time to make an exit.”
For many at the club this will be seen as a potential turning point in the season with five weeks before the congestion of the Christmas fixtures kick in – so time for a new name to have an influence. Often teams that see their manager depart after a losing run suddenly find the fire that was missing – let us hope that happens now as the last thing the Romans want is a dog fight to avoid relegation.
Lee Kendall is already positioned on the club’s website as the Caretaker Manager. He has previously managed Barry Town in Wales, has UEFA coaching qualifications along with a teaching qualification and a Masters Degree in Performance Coaching. The son of former Wolves and Spurs goalkeeper Mark Kendall has been at the club for several months and as such is a good fit for the emergency stand-in role. If results go City’s way, then of course that role could change. His CV also includes spells at Crystal Palace’s youth team and briefly for Cardiff City and a string of Welsh clubs including Haverfordwest County.
Somerset born Gill played for a long list of clubs beginning with Trowbridge Town in the 1980s and of course Bath City in the 90s. Other clubs included Birmingham City and Cheltenham Town. He took charge of Bath City in 2017 and it is fair to say he’s been a popular figure at Twerton Park and will be missed by the bulk of supporters.
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Harry Mottram is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Telegram, TikTok and Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
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