Former Nantwich Town U18s manager joins Winsford United (From Winsford Guardian)

Former Nantwich Town U18s manager joins Winsford United

11:23am Wednesday 3rd June 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

WINSFORD United manager Terry Murphy believes he has the off-field set up to make Blues a force in non-league football.

The new Barton Stadium chief added former Nantwich Town U18s boss Tony Ledwards to his team this week, a man who took the Dabbers’ bright young things to the third round of the FA Youth Cup last term.

There they lost to Everton at Goodison Park.

“We’re excited to have him on board,” said Murphy.

“Tony will bring a freshness to the place, plus his reputation as a coach is reason enough to want to work with him.

“I’ve worked with [assistant manager] Mike [Alcock] for almost a decade and, while we know we get on well together, it’s never a negative to have new ideas and ways of doing things.”

Ledwards will coach Murphy’s men in tandem with Alcock, leaving the former Middlewich Town manager to oversee his side’s development pitchside.

It’s an arrangement he’s happy with.

“I can’t run around out there any more,” he quipped.

“I’m hoping that by having two coaches on the field working with the players then they will be able to have more of an influence on an individual’s improvement.”

The best of Ledwards’ young guns have already indicated they would like to follow him to Winsford.

Blues fans grabbed a glimpse of their ability last term when front runners Omar Mahmoud and Nathan Southern enjoyed successful loan stays at Barton Stadium, helping Joe Gibiliru’s men avoid the drop to North West Counties League Division One.

“There is an air of optimism around the place,” said secretary Bob Astles.

“We’re moving away from a policy of bringing in players from Manchester and Liverpool and instead using the best of established local players together with bringing in young ones.”

Astles’ long-standing friendship with Nantwich Town chairman Clive Jackson was the catalyst for bringing in Ledwards after the UniBond Premier Division outfit decided not to run a reserve team next term.

Murphy plans to get his new-look team together for the first time later this month, moving to twice-weekly training sessions as the season approaches.

They will play up to half a dozen friendlies before the start of next term.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)