James Rowe resigns as manager of AFC Fylde 24 hours after being charged with sexual assault

James Rowe resigned as manager of National League club AFC Fylde 24 hours after his sexual assault charges last night.

Sportsmail revealed in May that Rowe left his previous job at Chesterfield in February following a sexual indecency charge, which he denied, before being appointed by Fylde the following month.

Derbyshire Police confirmed on Wednesday that a 39-year-old man has been charged with assault and is due to appear before magistrates at the Chesterfield Justice Center next month.

The alleged offense took place in November last year when Rowe was a Chesterfield manager.

The police charges sparked a day of crisis talks at Fylde, who was aware of the allegations against Rowe before he was named manager, with a board meeting yesterday concluding that he should resign.

The former West Ham academy coach resigned last night, with Andy Taylor temporarily taking charge for tomorrow’s FA Cup qualifier against Congleton.

Chesterfield’s decision to part with Rowe last season was shrouded in mystery as they were second in the National League at the time and had enjoyed a successful FA Cup run.

Andy Taylor has taken over temporary leadership of the National League club after Rowe’s departure

Sportsmail also revealed that Chesterfield wrote a ‘letter of concern’ to the FA after Rowe was hired at Fylde, claiming that no one at the club had approached them for references.

Following the appointment of Rowe Fylde chairman David Haythornthwaite, said: “We’ve done our due diligence on James, and while it’s clear he’s not a shrinking fiddle, we’re confident James will bring a winning mentality to the club. “

Rowe led former club Chesterfield to the third round of the FA Cup in 2021