Curzon Ashton appoint new manager

Curzon Ashton Football Club has appointed Adam Lakeland as its new first-team manager.

The 36-year-old joins the National League North club after an agreement was reached with Farsley Celtic for him to take up the role at the Tameside Stadium. 

It's Lakeland's second spell with the Nash, after he was a first-team coach under John Flanagan between January 2012 and June 2015 and was part of the back-to-back promotion-winning team that reached the sixth tier of English football for the first time in the Ashton-based club's history. 

He succeeds Steve Cunningham, who was dismissed on 18 October following a 'serious breach of club discipline' prior to the club's FA Cup tie with Chesterfield. 

Player-coach Craig Mahon took over the reins on an interim basis whilst the club carried out the search for a permanent boss. 

The Nash's National League North match against Gateshead, due to take place on Tuesday (26 October), had to be postponed due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Curzon squad. 

The club have had a brilliant start to the new campaign, lying seventh in the table - occupying the final play-off position - after taking 17 points from their opening nine league matches. 

Curzon Ashton said in a statement: "Curzon Ashton would like to state on record their gratitude to Farsley for their cooperation in assisting the club secure this deal. Lakeland was identified as one of the clubs’ top targets to fill the vacant managerial position and the club are very excited to work with Adam going forward." 

Since leaving the Nash six years ago, Lakeland has proved himself to be a very talented manager in his own right - guiding Northwich Victoria to the Evo-Stik Division One play-offs despite a nine-point deduction, before joining Farsley Celtic in the summer of 2017. 

He achieved promotion to the National League North, where he has kept them ever since, and won the West Riding County FA Cup with the Celt Army. Lakeland leaves the West Yorkshire club with them currently sitting in 14th place after 11 matches. 

Want more local sport stories?

Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.