CRIBBS | BENNETT HEADS NEW ERA

New manager relishing rebuilding job

There’s a new era getting underway at Cribbs and Ashley Bennett is the man chosen to lead it.

His fledgling managerial career has been full of success so far as he has taken Avonmouth to the Western League Division One following back-to-back promotions, including an invincible treble-winning campaign of 2022/23.

These credentials have presented him with the opportunity of overseeing Cribbs’ second season in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South, where a rebuilding job is required following the break-up of the squad which finished third and made the play-offs at the end of last term.

“I am very excited by this challenge, but I have made no secret of the fact that it will be easily the biggest challenge of my whole career, be that as a player or manager,” Bennett told us. “Many of the players that got the club to this position have now moved on, and we whish them all well as they look to progress their careers at a higher level.

“It means that there is a big rebuilding job to be done and it’s already been an extremely busy couple of weeks.

“It’s given me an opportunity to put my own stamp on things straight away and the new squad is starting to come together. We’ll continue to work hard to ensure that we are ready to hit the ground running when the season gets underway.

“Realistically we are looking to make sure that we are competitive during the campaign ahead and maintain our status at Step 4.

“There will probably only be five or six players still here from the squad that finished third last time out, so it is going to take time to bond and play the way I want us to play.

“My philosophies are to work hard, be brave on the ball and take a determined and positive attitude into each game.

“A level of patience is going to be required as we look to get this new group established and then build from there.

“As someone who is relatively new to management, this is a fantastic opportunity for me to be able to pit my wits against some big non-League clubs in what is going to be a highly competitive League.”

IMAGE: Cribbs FC

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