Stratford Town boss Dean Holdsworth on getting his appetite back for management
NEW Stratford Town head coach Dean Holdsworth says he has got back his appetite for football management – thanks to helping a Gibraltar club get the chance to feature on the European stage.
Holdsworth, a top-flight striker who was Bolton Wanderers’ record signing when he joined them in 1997 for £3.5m from Wimbledon, had switched to the dug-out in successful fashion.
He led Ryman League Redbridge to the play-offs in his first season in 2008, then took Newport County into non-League’s top tier on their way back up the pyramid as Conference South champions in 2010 with a record-breaking 103 points.
He had two years with then-League Two side Aldershot Town before a spell with Brentwood Town which ended in 2015 when he became chief executive in a consortium taking over at Bolton Wanderers.
It’s an extensive CV – which has continued with Gibraltar side FC Bruno’s Magpies who have reached European competition for the first time.
The team, which was only formed in 2013, has booked a place in the UEFA Conference League, with Holdsworth the technical director of development.
“I’ve got my appetite back to be involved a little bit more and I’m delighted to be able to do that at Stratford,” said the 53-year-old.
“I know the chairman at FC Bruno’s Magpies so that was how I got involved in Gibraltar and now they’ve got into European football for the first time.”
Holdsworth, who played principally with Watford, Brentford, Wimbledon and Bolton, has had ties with Stratford over the last few years, taking coaching sessions and having an ambassadorial role, but business commitments limited his involvement.
Those commitments have eased and he is excited to join chairman Jed McCrory and Gavin Hurren to spearhead Stratford’s progress in the future.
“I’ve watched the club evolve and grow for the last few seasons,” he said.
“There’s a structure in place off the pitch and a good squad already here on it.
“I’ve known Jed for a while and enjoyed coming down to the club. If he’s asked my opinion on football matters, I’ve been happy to give it, but I’ve had commitments that made it difficult to get more involved. I’ve got the opportunity now and I want to help the club keep progressing.
“I will bring a little bit of experience and a little bit of tactical awareness but it’s going to be a team effort, working with Jed and Gavin. The players already have a great camaraderie and I want to build on that, to enjoy our football and that’s the best way to be successful.”
Holdsworth expects pre-season training to begin towards the end of June but he expects the players to be ready for action.
“We’ll be sending out some fitness programmes for the players between now and when we come in for pre-season,” he said.
“They will be expected to be fit when we met up. We don’t have time just to work on fitness until the start of the season in August. We need to be ready to go and play.”
