Gary Monti returns to Cornard United as manager and co-chairman of Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division club

Gary Monti has made a shock return to Cornard United.

And Monti, who stepped down from his position as boss in April due to financial reasons, will not only be taking care of the first team once again, he will also be overseeing the day-to-day running of the club.

Explaining his decision to head back to Blackhouse Lane in an all-encompassing role, Monti, who guided the Ards back to the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division for the first time in 28 years, said: “I stepped down for financial reasons last season, but now I’m going back with full control of the club.

“I’ll be the co-chairman (along with Tom Clark) and I’ll be the manager as well.

“We need to restore the club’s reputation because it has not had the best of reputations in recent seasons.

“We’ll have a new committee, plenty of people that can help me and we’re basically starting from scratch.

“I’ll look to run it as a business and we have to make sure that every penny the club earns stays in the club, as well as looking for other avenues to help with finances.

“I’ll have a very good team of coaches around me and good people off the pitch as well. It just needs some organisation and with my background in business I’m confident I can do that – I wouldn’t be returning if I didn’t think I could.”

Alongside his responsibilities off the pitch, Monti is now charged with the task of putting together a squad that can be competitive at Step 5.

A number of players departed soon after he stepped down – and the club was unable to field a team to face Walsham-le-Willows on the final day of the season.

However, Monti is confident that he will be able to get together a group to continue from where he left off.

“Some of the players (that left) will return and some won’t,” he added.

“I’m confident we’ll have a very good team that will compete. We competed last season and I’m sure we would have made the play-offs had things not ended how they did.

“I think we’ll turn it around, especially if we can get the club’s reputation back and make it a place where players want to play their football.”