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Dabba tipped to take Rocks job
The odds on Darin Killpartrick still being Rocks boss next season are shortening.
General manager Jack Pearce says he is hopeful the faithful Nyewood Lane servant will accept the job for next season.
Pearce has promised Killpartrick any help he needs in juggling the role with his full-time job at Chichester College.
That includes Pearce himself – now in much better health than he was for much of last season – pitching in with duties to take the weight off Killpartrick.
And a new assistant or coach seems a must as well.
If he does take the job, the immediate concern for Killpartrick will be shaping a squad for the new campaign, which seems likely to be in the premier division of the Ryman League.
The Rocks have already suffered one blow on the
playing front: player of the year Danny Smith has rejoined Eastleigh.
The midfielder's departure was not unexpected after the club warned they probably would not be able to afford to keep him at Nyewood Lane for a second season.
But there is some potential good news in terms of how the Rocks may line up for 2009-10.
Winger Kane Wills and defender Andy Pearson have both been released by Brighton.
That raises the prospect of them reappearing for the Rocks next year after
successful loan spells with the club in the past
campaign.
Pearce said he hoped Killpartrick would decide to take the manager's job.
"I think he will be the manager – I'd say there is more chance of him being manager than not.
"We've given him until the end of May to think it over and have told him he will get help wherever he needs it.
"My health is much better now so I am in a better position than I was to help out with issues such as contracts, ringing round, transport and organising things."
Killpartrick said there were no decisions yet on who would do what next season but he expected things to become clearer by next week.
That's when the future of many of the players who played for Killpartrick and Kevin Braybrook in the second half of last season would also start to fall into place.
The Rocks should find out within the next week whether they will be placed in the Ryman League following relegation from Conference South.
There is still an outside chance they could be put into the Southern League, which would involve a huge amount of travelling.
Meanwhile, the hunt has begun for sponsors for the new season – more details of this in next week's Observer.
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Weather for Bognor
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: 0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
