Robbie Holcroft named as Assistant Manager

The much respected Runcorn goalkeeper, Robbie Holcroft, who took over as Caretaker Manager at New Year, has been named as Assistant to Steve Wilkes, the newly appointed Runcorn Manager. Robbie had known Steve through reputation prior to playing for him at Padiham at the beginning of last season, but when he met him, Robbie said he “was very impressed by his passion, motivation, and knowledge. When Runcorn asked me back, he didn’t want me to go, but now he’s seen that the lure of the Linnets is too great to resist. We kept in touch ever since, and I’m very happy to be his assistant.”

This Saturday’s away match against Nelson will be Robbie’s last as Caretaker, although Steve Wilkes will be there to watch the game and meet fans. The club would like to thank Robbie for standing in as Caretaker Manager, and appreciate all of the hard work he has put in. It would also like to join Robbie in thanking John Brownrigg, who has assisted Robbie over the last weeks, for his help, effort, ability and enthusiasm.

Steve Wilkes named as new Runcorn Manager

Runcorn Linnets are pleased to announce that their new manager is Steve Wilkes, who took Padiham to 3rd place in the North West Counties division 2 last season behind the Linnets. Steve has been with Padiham for the last three seasons, enjoying a top 5 position each year, and before that he spent 6 years at Darwen, so he has plenty of experience of the North West Counties Vodkat league.

When asked how he felt about his new appointment, Steve said “First and foremost I’m honoured to be asked to become the Runcorn Manager, but in addition to that I’m just really excited about the whole prospect. I’m just thrilled to be involved with the club, and I can’t wait to meet the fans. I know that we’ve got work to do to take the club forward, and I can’t wait to get my teeth into it.”

The club would like to thank all the applicants who showed the interest to apply for the post, and especially to those who took the time to be interviewed. The standard of the candidates was very high, but the decision to ask Steve Wilkes to take on the role was unanimous both within the Interview Panel, and the board as a whole.

Despite a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle Town on Saturday, the Runcorn Linnets players were clapped off the field by the visiting supporters who outnumbered the home support for the top of the table team.

The fan's discussions after the match centred on how well the team had tried, who the next manager might be, and how things could have been different if there had been some stronger refereeing. The feeling was unanimous that 4-0 flattered the home side.

Robbie Holcroft, who had taken on the Caretaker Manager role following the departure of Steve Carragher at New Year, had strengthened the squad with a number of signings, and had been encouraged at the enthusiasm to play for the club, so much so, that in addition to having a full bench, he took three players who just wanted to travel with the rest of the team.

In the, as Robbie described it, "mad, but good week" running up to the Newcastle game, a couple of familiar faces returned to the club, including Jay Edwards and Brian Holmes, but Thomas Lamb left to go to Warrington Town. The signing of the ex-Newcastle professional, mentioned on the website earlier in the week, didn't come off, but signings in the run up to Saturday's match did include:


- Stephen O'Brien, a Centre Midfield player, signed from Ashton Athletic, with Southport being one of his previous clubs.

- Jay and Joe McKane, with Jay being a right back and Joe being a central defender. The brothers were released by Winsford United earlier in the week.

- Kevin Brownrigg, a versatile defender, signed from local football.


Robbie went on to say "the only negative thing about the weekend was the result. The lads did themselves proud, and gave it 100% commitment. You couldn't ask for more.", and of the fans that travelled to Newcastle Under Lyme, "they were magnificent. The players couldn't believe the support they received, and were astounded when they were clapped off the pitch, like that, after a 4-0 defeat".

The gratitude to the supporters was echoed in a statement from the Board over the weekend:

"The club would like to pay thanks to the tremendous support that followed the club to Newcastle on Saturday. Once again, the away support heavily outnumbered the home support and this for the team at the top of the league. We are grateful that the fans have been so supportive during this interim period in the club's development. The interview process for the new manager is almost at an end and we hope to have news in the not too distant future. We do want to ensure that we get the right person for the job. We know how much you all appreciated the efforts of Robbie and the team yesterday and we know we are on the right track."

Meanwhile, the process of finding the Linnets' next manager is coming to a conclusion. The last of the interviews is to take place on Monday night (14th), at which point the team that have handled the applications will whittle down the 16 applications to a shortlist with the intention that it will be presented to the Board on Tuesday (15th) for final selection.

Over the last two weeks a dozen candidates have been interviewed, and the standard has been very high, and the club would like to thank all of the applicants who have expressed their interest in the position.