Bottesford Town Football Club have announced the retirement of their First Team Manager, Ralph (Raz) Clayton, after a 5 year spell at the Club.

Raz had been absent for a number of weeks during the latter part of the 2009/2010 football season due to illness, and in arriving at the decision, Club Chairman Tony Reeve stated that "the decision was considered to have been made in the best interests of both Raz, his family, and the Football Club."

Clayton joined Bottesford Town when they played in the Central Midlands League and, in his first full season at Birch Park, he took the Club back into the Supreme Division and, in 2005, they became League Champions thereby gaining promotion to the Northern Counties East Football League.

In the first season in the NCEL, the team finished in a creditable 3rd position just missing out on promotion to the Premier League, but have not faired so well in the last two seasons disappointingly finishing just above the mid-table positions.

Clayton is well known in Non-League Football having twice won the FA Vase in his seventeen year reign as the Manager of Brigg Town and guided them into the UniBond League in his last season there.

Reeve, speaking on behalf of the Club, expressed many thanks to Raz for all of his efforts in taking the Club forward and introducing the name of Bottesford Town to non-league football.

In looking forward, Bottesford are pleased to announce they have engaged the services of Ian (Chalky) Whyte to take on board the role of 1st Team Head Coach.

He is well known in local circles having had a distinguished playing career with senior non-league clubs in Lincolnshire before being employed in the professional game in youth coaching positions with Scunthorpe United, Lincoln City, Nottingham Forest, Derby County and, more recently, Portsmouth.