Ascot United manager steps up after goalkeeper sent off

When you become a manager, the last thing you are thinking about is lacing up the boots again but that’s what happened to joint Ascot United boss Jeff Lamb on the opening night of the Uhlsport Hellenic Premier League season.

The Yellamen were at home to Highmoor-IBIS and Lamb was already in the starting eleven along with new signings Ben Knight and Carl Dennison when the latter was red carded in the 25th minute.

The problem?

Dennison was the goalkeeper for Ascot and according to our man Mark Pugh at the game left the referee with ‘no choice other than to show red’.

Pugh wrote: “The match changed minutes later when Ascot’s new goalkeeper Carl Dennison came out of the penalty area, perhaps a little indecisively and clashed with the Highmoor forward.”

Related: Full round-up from the Hellenic Premier League opening night

A duck to water

It seems though that Lamb took to his new role like a duck to water with Highmoor taking 20 minutes to beat the United boss.

They then let Ascot back in with a penalty of their own – captain Paul Coyne levelling things up until the final minute of the game when James Piercy beat the Ascot gaffer to give Highmoor the points.

Reminiscent

Lamb isn’t the only manager locally to lace up his boots again after retiring. Bracknell have a long history of managers taking the field again.

Two season ago Keith Pennicott-Bowen laced up his boots after being placed in charge at Larges Lane while current boss Mark Tallentire famously scored a spectacular goal against Paulton Rovers in the Southern League a decade ago, we’d guess almost ten years after retiring from senior football.

All photo’s by Mark Pugh.