Conneely coy on Alfreton job after 'end of an era'
Billy Heath led Alfreton to a televised 0-0 home draw with Walsall in the FA Cup, losing the replay 1-0
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Interim Alfreton Town first-team coach Ryan Conneely says he will "give everything" to improve results after earning a point in the club's first game following Billy Heath's seven-year, 323-match reign.
The National League North side called Heath's departure on Wednesday "the end of an unforgettable era".
Heath had led them to an FA Cup second round replay against Walsall in 2023-24 and a trip to another League Two side in Notts County, in last season's first round.
"Coming in after the change that happened in the week, you're always keeping an eye on what the lads' response is going to be," said Conneelly, a Uefa A-licence coach who helped Hednesford Town win promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division last season, speaking to BBC Radio Derby.
"They were excellent in training and bought into everything we tried to implement.
"Whenever there's a change like that, everyone thinks 'we have to look forward'. My message was to take everything you've been good at.
"Alfreton Town have been known as one of the hardest working, most aggressive teams - a really, really good team, and teams hate coming here.
"[I told] the lads [to] just grab all that, put it all together and go and unleash it. I can't ask for anything more."
Under-23s manager Demaro Woodruffe has been made interim boss and Calum Flanagan is assisting as part of a new club strategy based on three "pillars" of data, developing players and creating a "culture of ambition, professionalism, and relentlessness".
Reece Hall-Johnson gave eighth-placed visitors King's Lynn Town an 86th-minute lead in Woodruffe's first game in charge on Saturday, but Billy Fewster's 91st-minute equaliser secured third-bottom Town's sixth point of the season.
"I've been given a period of time," said former Ipswich Town and Grimsby Town scout Conneely, describing Alfreton's performance as "more than decent" after their only training session with the new management team.
"[We will] reassess in a month. My task is to keep getting the lads on board and trying to improve things.
"If the results improve, you never know, because I'm very confident in my ability. Let's see how we get on."
Alfreton, who lost Heath's final game 5-0 at Oxford City and have won one of their first eight league matches, visit Spalding Town in the FA Cup second qualifying round on Saturday (15:00 BST) before hosting 16th-placed Telford United at the same time a week later in the sixth tier.