Hartford Athletic coach Watling resigns, Reid takes over in interim
A search for a head coach is underway for Hartford Athletic after the resignation of Harry Watling, who stepped down to attend to family matters in England, the club said in a statement Saturday.
Technical Director Ray Reid will serve as interim head coach, the club said. Reid, a longtime college coach at UConn and Southern Connecticut, will lead the search.
“I would like to thank Bruce Mandell and the entire ownership group for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of Hartford Athletic. I’d also like to thank my players for giving me everything they had day in and day out over these two seasons,” Watling said in a statement.
“Thank you to the fans for making Hartford feel like home from the very beginning and creating one of the best environments I’ve ever seen in my time in football. It is a very difficult decision for me to leave the club, but I need to return to England to be with my family. Hartford will always hold a special place in my heart and I wish the entire
organization the best of luck the rest of the season and beyond.”
Hartford Athletic was 15-23-8 in Watling’s one and a half seasons, during which he directed the club to single-season franchise records in goals (50), points (41) and clean sheets (9) in the 2021 campaign, in which Athletic placed fifth in the Atlantic Division.
“Coach Watling is a smart, young coach with a bright future ahead of him. We are very disappointed he is leaving the club but
understand he needs to do what’s best for him and his family,” Reid said in the release. “The search for a new head coach is underway. We will leave no stone unturned as we seek the best candidate to lead our club back to the playoffs.”
Assistant coach Jake Davis has also resigned from his position.
Hartford Athletic next plays Tuesday when it hosts the first-place Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Trinity Health Stadium at 7 p.m.