Former Sidley manager joins fierce rivals Hollington

John Carey with the two trophies Sidley won in 21-22 under his management

Carey will spearhead the Lions’ bid for Mid Sussex premier glory in 2022-23 after Asher Grindle stepped down as manager

Carey left Sidley after guiding them to the Mid Sussex premier and Sussex Intermediate Cup double, saying he was frustrated they were not going for promotion to the Southern Combination League - something the club insisted it was simply unable to do at this time, which Carey knew when he took the job.

A Hollington spokesman said: “We are delighted to announce John as our new manager and his brother Lee as player coach.

“And we are really pleased that Ross Southwood and Jules Lovall have stayed on to form a formidable management team.

"With Asher stepping down and a majority of last season’s squad leaving, it was important for us to act quickly to give us the best possible chance to keep progressing.

"We’re sure there will be a few eyebrows raised because of the rivalry between Hollington and Sidley but we feel John is the perfect man to take us forward and we are all excited to see the new management team in action.”

Meanwhile a charity game in honour of ‘Mrs Hollington’ Wendy Hustwayte is being played tomorrow (May 28, 3pm).