Statement released as ex-Leeds United man reinstated as manager 48 hours after axe
The former Leeds United and Huddersfield Town man has endured a rollercoaster few days.
Former Leeds United midfielder Adam Clayton has been appointed as manager of Northern Premier League side Matlock Town - just 48 hours after being let go by the same side.
Clayton spent two years at Leeds having initially joined on loan from Manchester City before signing a permanent contract and playing 50 games across all competitions. The midfielder scored six goals in that spell, including memorable efforts against the likes of West Ham and Leicester City, before dropping down the leagues.
His first job in management with the non-league side came to an end on Saturday following a 3-0 Boxing Day defeat to Ossett Town. The former Leeds, Manchester City and Middlesbrough midfielder had overseen just one win in December but his exit was somewhat surprising, given Matlock were third in the eighth-tier Northern Premier League East at the time.
A statement which has since disappeared explained the decision to sack Clayton came because results had ‘fallen short of the standards expected'. But as of Monday, something had changed with the 36-year-old making a swift return to the same dugout he departed over the weekend.
A new statement from Matlock read: “Matlock Town FC can confirm that a decision has been taken to reinstate Adam Clayton as the club’s first team manager. Whilst this may well come as a surprise to many given our previous announcement on Saturday, there are many reasons why it has now been decided to retain Adam in his role, as well as to appoint Ryan Cresswell as assistant manager.”
Matlock owner David Hilton then went on to explain the situation behind his club’s bizarre-looking decision. He said: “We received an approach for Adam from a bigger club higher in the pyramid. We notified Adam of this but due to the investment and the potential to unsettle us we decided to not allow those discussions to take place until our season was complete.
“We later felt that this was unfair on Adam and that the situation had the potential to impact us regardless. After the Ossett game, the club decided to release Adam from his contract in order to allow him to move on. We felt that a fresh approach was required due to the situation having the potential to distract people at a vital time in our season.
“After his release and his discussions with the other club and his family, Adam declined the offer of the new position and requested that he be reinstated at Matlock and allowed to finish what he had started with us and with the group of players he had recruited.
“The club decided that after last year’s revolving door of players, and with only four months left of the current season that sees us in a relatively strong league position, Adam was absolutely the best man to help us achieve our ambition. His relationship and bond with myself, our board of directors, staff and his players is a strong one and is seen to be virtually irreplaceable at this stage of the season.”