WANDERERS are close to naming their next B Team boss, Ian Evatt has confirmed.
The club promoted Matt Craddock to the first team staff earlier this month following the departure of Sam Hird, leaving academy boss Dave Gardiner to step in temporarily.
That recruitment search also highlighted a few other options, which Evatt believes will make the job of naming Craddock’s successor a simpler task.
He also hopes to encourage talent within the club so that more coaches can progress through the system in a similar fashion.
Evatt told The Bolton News, “The good thing is that the process uncovered applicants that we feel could be a good fit for that role.”
We’re currently informally discussing the B Team role with some of the applicants, since it may set off a chain reaction of coaching potential.
Internal applicants may also apply, as that is how we prefer to operate. Our goal is internal promotion.
“But ultimately I want a good pool of coaching talent at this football club. It is the way the game is going, it is what I believe in, and I think we are in a good place with it all.
“Hopefully, we’ll be making an announcement about that in the coming weeks.”
Evatt is eager for all of the club’s teams to play the same way, and he has been inspired by Julian Darby’s Under-18s’ performances. The Under-18s play Derby County on Monday night in the FA Youth Cup second round, with a third-round match against Manchester United on the line.
A few years ago, the B Team was established as a transitional squad between the Under-18s and senior football. Although it has taken some time for the idea to gain traction, certain players—most recently Sonny Sharples-Ahmed—have persevered to play in cup tournaments.
Striker Conor Carty has also had success out on loan in Ireland and two other highly-rated talents, Nelson Khumbeni and Max Conway, have spent time in the National League with AFC Fylde and Rochdale.
Evatt now wants to appoint another coach who thinks along similar footballing lines to himself, ensuring the ‘Bolton brand’ continues long into the future.
“The biggest thing I – or anyone – wants to create at a football club is a legacy,” he said.
“And it might not be winning major trophies, or Premier League football, even though that is the ambition.
“But I want everyone to recognise that this is what Bolton stand for, this is the way they play. This is a brand, a philosophy, identity. I want that to run right the way through the club from the academy teams right up to the first team.
“I think we are heading in the right direction with all of those things.”
Leave a Reply