FORMER Chester City striker Carl Heggs is picking up the pieces from his first stint in management.
The 39-year-old, who partnered Luke Beckett at Chester during the 1999-2000 season when the Blues were relegated to the Conference, has suffered a miserable time while in command of non-league club, King’s Lynn, who were wound up in the London High Court last week.
Heggs scored two goals in 10 appearances during his loan spell with the Blues from Northampton Town in 2000, where he linked up with Chester boss Ian Atkins.
And he was at the helm of Unibond Premier Division club, King’s Lynn, until the bitter end.
But Heggs underlined his frustration and disappointment of being let down by the club’s management who had run up a tax bill of £67,000.
He said: “When I took the manager’s job at King’s Lynn the club had no players, no physio, no kit man - just me.
“The club had just been demoted and I was left with the job of building the club up from scratch.
“I brought in nine players who were under 21 on contracts and we went on to score 49 goals in 18 games to move into the league’s top three.
“I was aware of the club owing money, but I never thought that a club with 130 years of history was in so much financial trouble.
“I re-negotiated two players’ contracts in the week leading up to the club being wound up and I brought in a player on loan from Peterborough United despite running the club on a shoe-string budget - a quarter of the budget that the previous manager, Keith Webb, operated with.
“It took me five and a half months to build up the club, but it took just one week to knock the club down.”
Heggs admitted a string of clubs had been chasing several of his players after they had steered King’s Lynn into a promotion-chasing position.
He added: “My squad was that good that within 24 hours they have had Conference North and higher clubs knocking the door down - with the exception of one or two.
"If we had a rubbish team they'd still be here but some are going to earn double what they are on at bigger clubs in better leagues.
“I wasn't in a position to ask the boys to stay although if the board had shown a slight bit of willing they would've stayed another week.“
I think the football club has been mismanaged and no one wants to see that but I think I can build it back up with the supporters playing a key role. I'm 39, ambitious, and in it for the long term.
“I'm ready now to step in and start planning for the future and so I'm declaring my intention here and now. It wouldn't be a long drawn out process. You could start the club again the following day if they get wound up and go from there.”
Heggs revealed Lynn's squad would have stayed one more week if the club's hierarchy had raised enough funds to pay his players.
“What upsets me most is the total lack of communication from the chairman,” he said. “I think it's appalling that he has not rung me up over the last few days and explained the situation.
“Let's be straight. We're in this position because of mis-management but mistakes happen. We all make mistakes. I signed Craig McAughtrie. That was my biggest mistake.
"What I don't understand is Norwich City have offered us a bucket collection. They get 25,000 crowds. Even if they'd all put in 20p that would have been a week's wages. I also suggested a practice match between the first team and the reserves with no tackling from the insurance point of view.
"Get a crowd down paying £5 each and I'm sure they'd have turned up to watch.”
Heggs hinted he would consider being part of a re-formed King's Lynn club lower down the pecking order.
“It depends if I was in another job or not,” he said. “If the club had to re-form and depending on whoever took charge then I'd have to think seriously about being the manager to take it forward - given that opportunity.
"I'm only 39 so I've got youth and vigour on my side. It's not like I'm 53 and I've had enough.
“I would love to help build a wonderful club back up again, even if it went down two levels. Right now, I'm very disillusioned and probably not the right man to take it on. It's not about Carl Heggs. It's about King's Lynn.”