In a surprising turn of events, Stevenage Football Club has confirmed the departure of their first-team manager, Steve Evans, who will be joining Rotherham United [1].
Evans’ exit comes just two days before Stevenage’s crucial League One fixture against Oxford United [1]. The news follows the recent dismissal of Rotherham’s manager, Leam Richardson [1].
During his two-year tenure at Stevenage, Evans achieved significant success. He led the team to promotion from League Two to League One last season and currently has them pushing for a playoff spot, sitting comfortably in the top half of the table [1].
“It’s not what we wanted,” admitted Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace, “but compensation clauses are in place for a reason and these things happen in football” [1]. He went on to praise Evans’ contribution to the club, stating that “the approach was unexpected but handled in the right manner by both clubs” [1]. Wallace highlighted Evans’ loyalty, revealing that the club “told Steve that after all he’d done for our club we would not stand in his way if the terms were met and he wanted to leave” [1].
Evans’ departure will also see assistant manager Paul Raynor leave the club [1]. Alex Revell will take over as caretaker manager for the remaining fixtures of the season [1].
While Stevenage will undoubtedly feel the loss of a successful manager, Evans’ move to Rotherham presents him with a new challenge. Rotherham were recently relegated from the Championship and will be looking to Evans’ experience to secure an immediate return to the second tier.