29 Oct 2025
Special report by St Albans Times sports correspondent Jess Unwin
Veteran defender Michael Bostwick has been named as interim player manager at St Albans City FC after Ian Culverhouse and his assistant Paul Bastock unexpectedly quit the club to join Kings Lynn Town.
Bostwick will take charge of the first team with immediate effect, starting with Saints’ 1st Round FA Cup tie with Burton Albion this Saturday, and he will also play a part in helping City search for a permanent City manager.
Ian Rogers, chairman of supporters group Saints City Trust, echoed the thoughts of many on Culverhouse’s departure when he told the St Albans Times: “This came totally out of the blue, and I am both surprised and totally gutted – not only that they have gone but also because of the timing of it before a massive FA Cup game for the club.
“I had no hint that this may be on the cards, Paul Bastock was our guest speaker at the Supporters Trust AGM only two weeks ago and appeared to be solidly behind the club.
“I can only say I hope the club doesn’t rush into selecting a new manager and that whoever is selected needs to keep the team on the upward trend and doesn’t make a lot of player or tactical changes.”
With Saints’ cup tie with Burton Albion looming, there were predictably negative comments about the exit of Culverhouse from some City supporters on the club’s Facebook site. One said: “A massive kick in the teeth for the supporters, who had mostly backed the pair of them despite the relegation and the indifferent start this season.”
Another just said of Culverhouse and Bastock’s Tuesday evening decision to quit: “You can’t be serious? How could you?”
However, some supporters see the managerial change as an opportunity with one saying: “Let’s see this as a chance to bring someone in and play some decent stuff that we can all actually enjoy watching. We have committed players who battle for each other, but we are so hard to watch. Let’s hope we can change that.”
While Culverhouse’s departure was a shock, the choice of King’s Lynn Town, which plays in the National League North, is less of a surprise. This will be his third spell at the Docherty Walks Stadium, having previously guided the club to back-to-back promotions and into the National League.
Both Culverhouse and Bastock are understood to live in East Anglia and their positions at King’s Lynn will be full time – factors that were both mentioned in a club statement that said St Albans City FC was “disappointed” by Culverhouse and Bastock’s departure.
The statement went on to reveal: “The club asked out of courtesy if King’s Lynn would not approach Ian and Paul until after the FA Cup 1st Round tie – however, this request was ignored and Ian and Paul were given a deadline to reply.
“After reflection, and despite their hearts being with the club and the fact they would have loved to be in the dugout at Burton, Ian and Paul decided to leave City due to a variety of reasons including travel and these new roles being full time positions.
“The club thanks Ian and Paul for their work and wish them the best for the future. An update will be provided as soon as the club can confirm a new management team.”
Having failed to save St Albans from relegation to the Isthmian League Premier Division last season, Culverhouse and Bastock were given the opportunity by club owners, chairman Lawrence Levy and John McGowan, to lead City’s push for immediate promotion and a return to the National League South.
Bastock, who played more than 300 games as goalkeeper for City between 2004 and 2014, told the St Albans Times in August: “We want to bring enjoyment and smiles back for the club and the supporters.”
He added: “Everyone knows how I feel about the club having played so many games here and Ian has that affinity too – we want to put right what went wrong last season.”
A “reset” is what Culverhouse and Bastock called for to drive promotion, and they certainly did that, bringing in a host of new players to rebuild the first team squad.
After a mixed start to the league campaign, a run of unbeaten games in all competitions, including victories that have taken City to the FA Cup 1st Round, demonstrated significant improvement and saw St Albans move up the league table.
Saints supporters can only hope that a new managerial regime will be able to pick up the baton and continue to develop those promising signs.
