ALLAN BICKERSTAFF - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

A SUMMER of discontent at Rhyl Football Club was no more typified than by the departure of head coach Allan Bickerstaff just over a week ago.
Just three months after leading the Lilywhites to the Welsh Premier League title the man who took over from John Hulse in the summer of 2008 was in charge no more.
There have been differing accounts bandied around surrounding the reason for his demise; the club has remained tight-lipped on the matter, but most of us have a relatively good idea as to the circumstances of it all.
Regardless, this article is not to speculate or pass judgment on what's gone on but more to pay tribute to a man who will go down in Rhyl folklore as a genuine success story.
Bickerstaff said after the news of his leaving the Welsh Premier champions became public that he was disappointed to be going.
"I didn't want to leave the club," he declared. "I'd like to think I've been very successful. My remit was to win the Welsh Premier title and reach the Champions League and I've achieved that.
"I think the club played its best football ever last season. I am disappointed to be leaving, but I'll move on and start again elsewhere as a coach."
After having such a successful first season in charge of the Lilywhites, Bickerstaff is not likely to be short of offers.
His reign in the hot seat did not start too well with a 9-3 aggregate defeat against Irish club Bohemian in the Inter-Toto Cup, but at that stage Hulse's squad was breaking up and Bickerstaff had not had any time to bring in new players.
Things changed drastically when the former Rhyl midfielder received a generous budget for the 2008/09 season to bring in top quality players.
The likes of Neil Roberts, Greg Strong, Matthew Williams, Jamie Reed and Danny Williams turned the Lilies into a major force and a now legendary 5-1 victory over then champions Llanelli early in the season set the tone.
Rhyl were taking almost everyone apart and playing some of the best football ever seen in the Welsh Premier along the way.
A crucial 1-0 win at Llanelli towards the end of the campaign all but clinched the title and after the Reds failed to win at Aberystwyth on the penultimate weekend of the season the Lilies were home and dry.
Bickerstaff was not only head coach of the new league champions, he was boss of a record-breaking team.
The team achieved the highest number of points ever for the WPL in a 34-game season.
Rhyl also had their best start to a WPL campaign - five straight wins - and enjoyed their lengthiest ever sequence of victories - 12 in a row.
The Lilywhites also scored their highest number of goals in a single WPL season and recorded their most wins - 29. They also did not lose a single game away and were beaten just twice at home.
With those stats behind him it looked like Bickerstaff was immovable off his throne, but behind the scenes things were different and three months after his finest moment in football he was an ex-manager.
Personally, I found Allan a pleasure to work with. I heard of him occasionally being described as distant and aloof, but I found him very approachable and helpful.
He never ducked a question, showed great loyalty and trust towards me and was ultra-professional at all times.
After the team was presented with the league trophy in April, Allan stood back from the celebrations, instead letting the players and backroom team take the limelight.
Whether people considered that a right or wrong act it was his act, what he thought was the right thing to do.
Perhaps my favourite personal Bickerstaff moment came on the Friday night Rhyl won the league.
Even though he was having a pleasant evening with his wife Sandra, Allan found time to talk to me and give me his reaction to the news.
I hope he doesn't mind me saying this (and I hope I'm not wrong) but he'd probably enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and he spoke for a good half hour about the pride he felt over his team winning the league title.
Not only that, he was very keen to praise the other teams which had been involved in the battle for the championship - he was always very complimentary about the opposition, very rarely bad-mouthed anyone, although he wasn't afraid to speak his mind if an opponent had done or said something he did not agree with.
What Allan Bickerstaff achieved at Rhyl FC in such a short time will never be forgotten - Lilywhites Online wishes him all the very best for the future.