Pagham name new manager

He will succeed Bob Paine - who resigned last month - after a short spell as joint manager of East Preston which came after a successful stint as manager of Rustington, where he won a league and cup double in his first season in senior management.

Hardwell knows Nyetimber Lane well after managing their reserves in a previous stint at the club. He played for Pagham, Wick, Rustington and Clymping before moving into management.

Pagham have had a number of managerial changes in the past few months and will be hoping Hardwell's appointment marks the start of a more stable period.

Richie Hellen resigned as joint manager last April, leaving Tom Simmonds, his former partner in the role, as sole manager. Simmonds stood down in the summer before Paine took over, but he left in October.

Pagham are just one place off the foot of the SCFL table, with five points from 13 games.

Details of Hardwell's coaching team will be released later this week, said a Pagham statement.