Released Arsenal youngster debuts at club in turmoil | OneFootball

Released Arsenal youngster Romari Forde officially joined Kettering Town FC last week, but he’s arrived at a club in turmoil following their manager’s resignation.

Photo via Arsenal Academy on Instagram

Last weekend, former Arsenal youngster Romari Forde was confirmed as a Kettering Town FC player through a post on the club’s website, writing that he was arriving after being released by the Gunners in the summer.

Forde didn’t have to wait too long for his Kettering debut, but the circumstances were far from ideal.

The forward began Saturday’s game on the bench, coming on in the 61st minute with Kettering 3-0 down to Redditch. It was too late to turn things around, and a 77th-minute penalty ensured the game finished 4-0.

Photo via Arsenal Academy on Instagram

Whilst it would have been a disappointing game to debut in, Forde will be more concerned with what happened afterwards. Within hours of the final whistle, Kettering manager Simon Hollyhead resigned from his post.

The club have since put out an urgent plea for applications for the position, hoping to conduct interviews next week and holding talks with a potential interim manager in the meantime.

There’s also some fan disquiet around Forde’s signature for the club, which coincided with the departure of two of the club’s existing forwards, one released and one loaned out.

Photo via Arsenal Academy on Instagram

The two departing strikers had scored a combined eight goals in the first 10 games of the season, and the confirmation of their exits came in the same post as the announcement of the signing of Forde, the son of Kettering Town’s director of football Fabian Forde.

There have been accusations from supporters on social media that the club made a decision based on personal connections rather than performances and experience.

Forde has no control over how his signing is perceived, but the former Gunner will want to start getting involved in goals and wins as soon as possible to silence the doubters.