Wilko calls it a day

Craig Wilkins' playing days at Horsham are over almost before they had begun after the club's Assistant-Manager announced his decision to hang up his boots this week. 'Wilko' was brought to the club by boss Hugo Langton in November, to add his experience to the coaching set-up and bring some defensive 'know-how' to the back four, but a constant struggle to overcome a niggling back injury limited his on-field appearances to just 5 games, advancing his inevitable decision to call it a day.

"I'm absolutely gutted," revealed the ex-Dover man. "I've been struggling with a back injury for several years and have been having injections in it for a while. I had to have 3 injections last week and couldn't arc my back properly but it seems to have done the trick although I have to be sensible and think about my future so, although it's very hard to accept, it's the right decision for me to take."

Wilkins, a multi-sports coach, has been equally effective in defence and attack throughout a career that has seen him wearing the colours of some of Kent's biggest clubs. Dover Athletic, Maidstone, Tonbridge Angels and Gravesend & Northfleet have all benefited from his committed approach but he remains saddened that he was unable to make more of a contribution to the Hornets' cause this season. "I just wish I could have been out there to help out" he continued "because its very frustrating to be on the sidelines when we're stuck at the bottom of the table. To be honest, though, I've only played the games I have as a favour to Hugo. I'd not played for about 9 months after leaving Chatham and I realised the other day that last summer was the first pre-season I'd missed for 20 years!"

Despite living in Maidstone, Wilkins revealed that the journey to Horsham doesn't bother him although he expressed his surprise at an early revelation. "I know Hugo from my time at Ashford Town and was happy to team up with him again but I was amazed when I found out what our budget was! To get 17 players and the management team on the money we had was nothing short of incredible. But I'm enjoying being involved and am working on getting my UEFA badges now, having had my Level 2 for 2-3 years. Hugo has a lot of great ideas for the club, from the first team down to the youth, and I look forward to playing my part in it all."

Langton added his own tribute to his right-hand man. "It’s really unfortunate that Wilko’s had to call time on his career but what a great servant to non-league football he’s been! He’s been there, seen it and done it all and it’s tremendous to have him on board with all those years of experience behind him. I had the pleasure of working with him at Ashford Town and it had always been a plan of ours to work together again so I was delighted that he agreed to be my number two and I look forward to my players continuing to learn from him as he concentrates on his coaching"