Former Brighton, Leyton Orient and Crawley star swaps one Sussex manager’s job for another

The shock departure from Culver Road was revealed by Lancing FC in a statement on Thursday morning and they said the hunt for a new manager – their third in six months – was under way.

Almost immediately Burgess Hill announced Cox was heading there – a club he played for and still holds in high regard.

It’s been a head-spinning merry-go-round for three of Sussex’s Isthmian League clubs. Burgess Hill replaced Jay Lovett with Lewis Taylor a few months ago and Taylor now makes way for Cox; Lancing lost Dale Hurley and Alex Walsh to Haywards Heath mid-season when Martin Dynan left, but when Lovett left Hill, Haywards Heath snapped him up after sacking Walsh and Hurley.

The latest move means all three of those clubs will have had three different management set-ups in not much more than six months.

Lancing said today: “Dean was appointed in December 2022 and led the team to a club high position of 13th in the Isthmian League South East Division having won 8 and drawn 3 of his 21 League games in charge.

“However, Dean notified the club of his decision to leave, alongside his colleagues Will Hendon, Steve Carlberg and Ross Ball, on Wednesday morning.”

Chairman Steve Taylor said: “Lancing FC would like to put on record our thanks to Dean and his team for the work and efforts they have put in over the past five months.

"To have reached our highest ever position this season was a massive achievement and Dean, along with the rest of the backroom staff, players, committee and supporters, played a huge part in that.

“Lancing FC will act quickly in appointing a new manager but we are not inviting applications at this time.”

After Lancing beat Sevenoaks to make sure of survival, Cox told us of his pride at guiding the club to safety. He said: “I feel we should have finished with more points. The lads stayed in games, but moments and goals change games and there were times when we missed opportunities and were punished.

"But to finish the highest position in 81 years is a fantastic achievement – and doing it with the lowest budget in the league makes it all the better. We had a great team spirit and heart to work hard for each other which helped us no end.

"With more investment we would be able to add to the quality we already have – you can’t sit still in football you need to constantly improve. I can’t single out anyone – I have been so lucky to have worked with these players this season. They bought into us and our ideas and implemented it on a consistent basis.

"They have been great players, but the whole squad are fantastic human beings and have been a pleasure to work with.”

An hour or so after Lancing announced Cox had gone, Burgess Hill revealed he was their new boss.

Burgess HIll Town said: “Dean joins Burgess Hill Town FC with his coaching staff of Will Hendon, Ross Ball and Steve Carlsberg following a very successful period of managing Lancing FC, guiding them to their highest ever finish in the Isthmian South East division.

“The club would like to thank Lewis Taylor and Dean Sammut who managed the team for the final seven games of last season and successfully preserved our proud Isthmian League status.

“Dean played professionally for Brighton and Hove Albion FC, Leyton Orient FC and Crawley Town FC, he played non-league for Eastbourne Borough FC and Worthing FC and had a very notable time playing for Burgess Hill Town where he quickly became a fan favourite.”

Hill Managing Director Vince Alfieri commented: “Firstly, I would like to thank Lewis Taylor and his assistant Dean Sammut for stepping in for the last 7 games of last season and keeping the club in the division on the final day. Reviewing last season, we recognise that for a club with our amazing fanbase, simply surviving in the league is not acceptable and therefore we have a strong ambition to move the club forward both on and off the pitch.

“In Dean and his team, myself and the board truly know we have the right people to transform our playing squad and develop a high-performance culture around the team, this will enable us to win more football matches and compete at the top end of the league.”

Cox said: “Over the moon to get this fantastic opportunity. Vince and I have spoke at length, me and my coaching staff are really excited to be part of this club’s plans moving forward.

"I have played here over two stints, I remember all the faces and names of people who are still fans now so I know I will have a great backing, we need to hit the ground running, we need to retain players and we also of course need to bring in players and make sure our team is a exciting team to watch and very competitive in the league.

“Of course I have played professionally for Brighton And Hove Albion, Leyton Orient and Crawley as well as playing for Eastbourne Borough and Worthing, I feel that experience has helped me no end. Me and my coaching staff can’t wait to get going and we look forward to hopefully creating lots of memories here at Burgess Hill.”