By Brian Bennett

Kev Chapman says he has not said goodbye to his time at Ashington Football Club – far from it!

The Woodhorn Lane club announced last week that they were on the lookout to recruit a new physiotherapist due to Chapman’s increasing workload which meant he was unable to fully commit to the role.

The 47 year old – who runs his own business KSC Physiotherapy – has secured a full-time job in Musculoskeletal (MSK) with the NHS Trust and with the travelling involved in the Northern Premier League, time was going to be an issue.

Speaking at the weekend, North Shields-born Chapman who recently completed his first season with the club said: “Away games usually involves a full day of travelling and working Monday to Saturday, I was going to be hard pushed to give up my weekends. It would only have left a Sunday to see my wife and the kids. However I’ve agreed to work with the club on an ad hoc basis so I’ll still have some involvement and I’ll see the lads if I need to come in on training days.”

Chapman – who is based in Blyth – took over as physio last season when Nick Gray was manager and he added: “Although it’s been a brief time with the one season, the club is class and I enjoy working for them. Everyone made me feel so welcome. It’s very daunting going into a new club but everyone at Ashington – including the fans – made me feel at home and that’s very humbling.”

He went on: “I’ve enjoyed it. When I was physio in the Northern League, we were commuting to the likes of Middlesborough and possibly further afield if drawn away in the FA Vase. However being in the league above with Ashington, you are not only meeting different teams and physios and seeing how other clubs are run, you also see the whole structure of how it is to move up a level and how it’s done. For me at Ashington, it’s been a growing experience and having rehab strategy with the players.”