ANDY Crowther is relishing a ‘fresh challenge’ for Droitwich Spa in the Hellenic League after signing a new deal with the club ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Crowther heads into his fourth campaign as Spa boss after winning the West Midlands Regional League Division One title in his first season at the helm.
However, after suffering Midland Football League Division One play-off final heartbreak in each of the last two seasons, Spa will play in the Hellenic League Division One this coming season after moving laterally across Step Six.
Crowther said: “Moving across to the Hellenic League is a new and fresh challenge for everyone.
“With the disappointment of the last two years in the play-offs, moving across is like a fresh start for us all.
“We don’t know a lot about the teams in the league and they don’t know much about us. We’re just approaching it as we approach every season – it’s down to us and how we play.
“We’re building on the last couple of season, we want play-offs and to go for the title. We want to make that next step.
“We’re going into the league open-minded, new teams, new grounds to visit and new challenges so we’re looking forward to it.
“We’re itching to start the league season now.”
Crowther spent more than a decade with the King George Playing Fields club as a player before achieving a first-ever promotion to Step Six as Spa boss in 2021/22.
And Crowther hopes Spa can push on again this season having exceeded all expectations over the last few campaigns.
Crowther added: “It has surprised me at how well it’s gone, it helped being a player and then assistant manager before taking on the manager’s job.
“It’s gone a lot better than I expected, gaining promotion in my first year and then reaching the play-offs the last two years.
“The first year, the play-offs surprised everyone really with how well we did, last year was a bit more disappointing, we just didn’t get over the line.
“On a personal note, it’s gone brilliantly, I couldn’t ask for any more off the lads or the club, they’ve put confidence in me to do the job.
“I’ve exceeded what I expected already and I just want to push on even more and hopefully push us to that next level this season.”
Crowther’s coaching staff comprises Aaron Drake, Chris Hunt, Joe Mayo-Braiden, Matt Hunt and Matt Oliver who have all committed to Spa again for the 2024/25 season.
