AFC Sudbury move was a ‘no-brainer’ for promotion-winning Brantham Athletic joint manager Tom Austin
Despite guiding Brantham Athletic to promotion last season, Tom Austin has described his decision to join Danny Laws’ coaching staff at AFC Sudbury as a ‘no-brainer’.
Alongside fellow joint manager Jack Sibbons, Austin’s Brantham dramatically wrapped up the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division title on the final day of the campaign.
However, rather than lead the club into a first ever term in the Isthmian League North Division, Austin has instead jumped up a level with the Yellows to become Laws’ assistant.
Austin said: “Of course it was a tough decision but when a club of the calibre of Sudbury comes knocking, in many ways it was a no-brainer.
“It’s a step up and after speaking to Danny, it did not take me too long to make the decision.
“We had a brilliant season at Brantham and I don’t think many people expected us to achieve what we did.
“I really hope Brantham can stabilise at Step 4, but it feels right to go out on a high and now it’s a new challenge.
“I couldn’t turn down the chance to work with someone like Danny at a club like Sudbury.
“Sudbury have always been a brilliant club and it’s something that if I had turned it down, I feel like I would have ended up regretting it.”
Coaches Ben Connell and Jamie Thomson have also made the move over from Brantham, but Sibbons is not part of the package.
There was some early discussions over him also joining, but Sibbons’ desire to get back to playing more regularly won through.
Austin added: “Jack had the option to come across but after some conversations he was more inclined to play again.
“He’d rather do that and I completely understand his reasons.
“Jack has been like a brother to me and there’s hardly been a day go by since we were at Brantham that we haven’t spoken.
“That will not change now and we’ll always have a close relationship, but now was not the right time for him.”
Along with Laws, one of Austin’s main objectives this summer will be to build a squad that is capable of securing a fourth straight season in the Southern League Central Premier Division.
There have been more departures in recent days with the likes of Ryan Henshaw, Ollie Peters and Ben Bradley all moving on, but Austin is confident new faces will start to arrive soon.
“I’ll be helping out with recruitment and hopefully I’ll be able to find some of those gems that can perform at our level,” he said.
“Marcus (Garnham) is a great signing. He’s a top goalkeeper and I’m looking forward to working with him.
“The club have also confirmed that Jake Turner is staying and he’s a great player.
“But there’s no doubt we’ve got some recruiting to do as well. I’m sure we’ll have different lists as a coaching team and between us we’ll get a competitive squad together.”