We spoke to Greg Plummer, who covers King’s Lynn for Lynn News, for the lowdown on FC Halifax Town’s new manager Adam Lakeland.
How would you rate Lakeland’s time as King’s Lynn manager?
There’s no doubting Adam Lakeland did an excellent job at King’s Lynn Town during his 18 months at the helm.
They looked certain contenders for relegation when he arrived at The Walks before leading them to safety in the penultimate game of the season.
The improvement continued in his full season in charge, leading the club to the end of season play-offs despite the team scoring less goals last season than the campaign when they beat the drop.
What kind of manager is he and what was the team’s style of play under him?
He is very much a manager who will give it his all and leave no stone unturned in an effort to get things right.
His side and players would always give a 100 per cent, but at times the football wasn’t always pretty and the team perhaps lacked a little bit of identity, especially at home where their form was poor.
The one thing I would say is that he did make the team very hard to beat and defensively they were sound, other than heavy defeats on the road at promotion contenders Kidderminster and Scunthorpe.
What was his record in the transfer market like?
Other than signing a prolific striker, you couldn’t really argue with his business in the transfer market.
The signing of Jonny Margetts was a masterstroke in his first season but when he sustained a bad back injury early last season, the goals dried up and Lynn were not prolific.
His most astute pieces of business perhaps came in the loan market with the signings of holding midfielder George Morrison, from Fleetwood, in his first season and Cody Johnson, from Stockport County, last season.
Morrison moved on to pastures new with Tamworth in the National League last season and replaced him with fellow holding midfielder Johnson, who was a revelation for Lynn last season.
Do you expect any of his players there to follow him to Halifax?
I could see Cody Johnson linking up with Lakeland again following his release from Stockport County, as well as defender Dylan Crowe and potentially Josh Hmami and Matty Warburton, although both of those players remain contracted to Lynn, as does goalkeeper Pat Boyes.
Were Lynn fans happy or sad to see him go?
There was a mixed reaction to Lakeland’s departure from supporters. The timing was perhaps the biggest reason, coming 10 days after Lynn had lost in the play-offs, so it was a reaction of very much shock.
Why did he leave the club?
It was well documented that he exceeded the playing budget last season, operating with a top-three budget in the National League North.
The club and Lakeland were clearly at loggerheads with what budget was available to him for him this season and the relationship between Lakeland and the club’s potential new owners became very frayed.
Do you think he deserves a chance in the National League?
Many will feel that Adam deserves his chance of managing at a higher level for his achievements at King’s Lynn during his time at The Walks.
He isn’t one to shirk a challenge and he will give it his all to get things right.
One thing you can guarantee is that he’ll make Halifax a very difficult team to beat. It’s his first job at National League level, but it will be one he will relish.
How do you think he’ll do?
Given the kind of backing and budget that he ended up having at Lynn, there’s no reason to doubt why he can’t take the managerial step in his stride with the same kind of support from the Halifax board.
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