The club’s owners said “performances this season have not been at the level expected” By Victoria Munro
John Mackie (pictured) and Terry Spillane were both let go yesterday (credit: Andrzej Perkins)
Walthamstow FC has abruptly sacked the managers who led the team to its first league title win in 37 years.
Ex-professional footballer John Mackie and Terry Spillane, well-known for managing several non-league Essex clubs, only joined the club in May last year.
However, in a joint announcement yesterday, they confirmed they had been “relieved of their duties” that morning, thanking staff, the players and the fans for their support.
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In their statement, John and Terry wrote: “We leave with our heads held high after winning the Essex Senior League at our first attempt and being three points from top place in the Southern League.
“Anyone who knows me knows I love a statistic so I’ll leave you with mine and Terry’s… hopefully we’ll be back in the game as soon as possible.”
Out of 44 league games under their management, the team won 30 – which noted was a “68% win ratio” – scoring a total of 98 goals.
In a statement on the club’s website, Andrzej Perkins, communications manager and son of owner Andy Perkins, wrote that they parted ways “with regret”.
He wrote: “Performances this season have not been at the level expected, and we believe it is the right time to make this decision.
“We would like to thank John and Terry for all their hard work and commitment during their time with us. Their role in winning the Essex Senior League title will not be forgotten and we wish them all the very best for the future.
“We are now accepting applications for the vacant manager role. Please direct message us or email only [email protected] to express your interest.”
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