Skegness Town boss Nathan Collins steps down after four successful seasons

Nathan Collins has left his role at Skegness Town and is replaced by Chris Rawlinson.

Collins cited personal reasons as the reason for his departure after four seasons in charge, which included promotion into the UCL Premier North and a strong eighth-place finish in their first season at step five.

He has been replaced, initially in a caretaker capacity, by his assistant manager Chris Rawlinson, who in turn will be assisted by Matt Easton and Nick Chapman.

The club say they are not currently inviting applications for Collins’ post.

A club statement read: “Nathan has cited a change in personal circumstances leading to a busy work schedule as one of his main drivers behind this decision and it is with heavy hearts that this has been accepted.

"Nathan's legacy is one that he should be proud of, taking a new step six side to a firmly established step five side with a reserves in step seven and [he] leaves the club in a much better place football-wise and matches the vision the committee had when building the great facilities the club now has.

“We should also thank his wife Vikki for the countless hours she spent helping in the club house and his son Ben for his work on match days with the social media, all of which has been massively appreciated.”

Collins guided Skegness to safety during his first season in charge, with his second seeing the Lilywhites firmly on course for promotion before the Covid-enforced curtailment of the season.

Another Covid-hit season followed but continued good form meant that Skegness’s progress ensured promotion when points-per-game were taken into account for the two affected seasons.

Collins then helped oversee an eighth-place finish in the UCL Premier North last season.

Collins tweeted: "It’s been a pleasure to manage such a fantastic club and I wish everyone involved all the best for the future. Special thanks to Chris Rawlinson and Nick Chapman for all their hard work and support.”

This season has seen a difficult start in the league with a 4-0 loss at Kimberley followed by a 3-2 defeat to Sleaford Town, but in Rawlinson’s first game in charge last Saturday, Skegness overcame step four side Loughborough Dynamo 2-0 in the FA Cup extra-preliminary round.