Outgoing Boston United head coach Graham Coughlan has blasted the club board following his exit from The Jakeman’s Stadium.
The club had gone five matches without a win and sat just three points clear of the relegation zone, with Coughlan’s final game coming in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Braintree Town.
The Irishman was appointed in November 2024 and guided Boston to safety on the penultimate game of the season, following an outstanding run of 10 wins from 15 matches across March and April.
However, a return of just one victory in their last 11 league games since the end of October has now resulted in his departure.
On his LinkedIn, the former Newport County boss has seemingly lashed out at the board, outlining his achievements as boss and suggesting those in charge of the Pilgrims are ‘happy to go down’.
“Take it (the job) on 11 points adrift in 23rd place in the league. Survived, 19th, five points above relegation. We are currently 17th and in the last eight of the cup, with the lowest budget in the league,” he said of his current achievements.
Their efforts in escaping the drop last season were labelled the great escape, and rightly so. Newly promoted from the National League North after an absence of 20 years (including their Football League adventure) they were deemed as favourites to go down, but Coughlan led them to a miracle.
It seems that the relationship has soured, with him adding a barb clearly directed at the current board.
“Hands tied. You’re happy to go down; I’m not.
“But on my head be it we didn’t make Premier League in 14 months. Apologies that I could not take us further.”
Boston now face a crucial time, with three games against promotion-chasing sides in Halifax, Boreham Wood and Southend on the horizon.
Early front-runners for the job include a former Lincoln City figure, Danny Butterfield. He was Mark Kennedy’s assistant during the second part of his Imps spell, and is the current assistant at Eastleigh. As a Boston native, his appointment would certainly be popular.
Dino Maamria has also been mentioned as a manager with a reputation for creating solid sides that are hard to beat, but if budget is an issue, he may be out of their reach.
Finally, Jimmy Dean is also a name being mentioned. He is a former Scunthorpe United boss who has had success with Peterborough Sports in the past, and is currently in charge of Spalding United, who are nine points clear at the top of the Southern League Premier Division Central.