THE BIG INTERVIEW ADAM LAKELAND

Rovers gave Lakeland a platform to go so Far

- MATT BADCOCK

ADAM LAKELAND often thinks back to his first game as a manager, a Sunday afternoon in London in 2006.

Then just turned 22, the newly-appointed Blackburn Rovers Ladies manager took his side to big-hitters Charlton Athletic.

“I think back to that first game so many times,” Lakeland says. “At the time, Charlton were one of the full-time teams in the top flight of women’s football, along with the likes of Arsenal and Fulham.

“Keith Boanas was their manager, Eniola Aluko was one of their top players, Amanda Barr – they were a great team. We were just little Blackburn Rovers scrapping way above our level.

“We managed to get a 0-0 draw which was a great result. From that moment on I had confidence in the way I could set a team up and communicate with players.”

Now 36, Lakeland has a lot of experience and success on his CV. He’s had his UEFA A Licence for ten years, was first-team coach when John Flanagan’s Curzon Ashton won back-to-back promotions to reach Step 2, as well as the manager’s job at Northwich Victoria – beaten in the play-offs by Spennymoor Town despite woes off the pitch and a nine-point deduction.

Now he’s at Farsley Celtic, the club he guided to promotion to the National League North two years ago and are more than holding their own in their own in a tough division. In many ways, it reminds him of his first job at Rovers.