‘Unbelievable’: Former Town midfielder leads Suffolk non-league side to remarkable title

Former Ipswich Town player Kevin Horlock has led Suffolk non-league club Needham Market to the Southern League Premier Central title.

The 51-year-old led the Marketmen to an automatic promotion with a 3-1 win over Royston Town at Bloomfields yesterday.

Horlock, who was appointed manager in 2019, stated: “It feels unbelievable. It’s been a long season, and we’ve been quite consistent, but once you get within touching distance, you start dreaming and believing.

“To get over the line at home, in the way we did, it rounds off a really fantastic season and I’m very lucky to be manager of this group of players.”

NEEDHAM MARKET ARE SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER CENTRAL CHAMPIONS 🏆🔴#NeedhamMarketFC pic.twitter.com/s1JaEX4fKT

— Needham Market FC (C) (@needhammktfc) April 6, 2024

The Marketmen won the league with three games remaining to play and will play Step 2 football for the first time in club history next season.

There are two more Town ties in the Needham squad: academy grads Byron Lawrence and Tommy Smith, who contributed to the title success.

They are 11 points ahead of second-place Mickleover, who suffered a 3-1 defeat at Stourbridge, led by another former Town player, Darryl Knights.

Horlock added: “I’ve been a part of promotion-winning teams in my career, and we had strong players, just as we do here, but we have something different.

“When the last whistle blew, I was just emotional. I’m a really emotional person. I attempted to be a hard-nut when performing and had that aura about me, but I’m a softy at heart. I must admit that it moved me to tears.”

Horlock made 62 appearances in his two seasons at Portman Road.