‘I leave with my head held high’

McCreadie was de-selected as the Pirates’ boss after a vote held at a committee meeting last Thursday night and has since been appointed manager of Langney Wanderers.

The 50-year-old Scot said: “I don’t think they were wanting me there next year (at Bexhill) so I decided to move on to Langney. I had a year there (at Bexhill), it was a good time, but that’s come to an end.

“I kept my end of the bargain 100 per cent. I could’ve walked away after six weeks, but I stayed until the end of the season. I was first there and last away every time. I can leave with my head held high.”

McCreadie came to The Polegrove last summer having guided Hailsham Town to promotion from Sussex County Football League Division Two during the 2011/12 season and a mid-table finish in Division One the following year.

He brought much of the Hailsham squad with him and hoped to achieve something similar with Bexhill, but could only manage a disappointing eighth place in the league.

McCreadie did, however, guide Bexhill to their first senior county final in 40 years. The club came through three rounds to reach the Division Two Challenge Cup decider, where they lost 4-1 to Loxwood at the start of the month.

Bexhill chairman Bill Harrison said: “I’ve got a lot of time for him (McCreadie), but being a committee club, I got outvoted. I wished him well and thanked him for what he’s done.”

See Friday’s Bexhill Observer for the full article.