FEATURE: Community is key for new Sleaford Town boss

​After outgoing player-manager Tom Ward stepped down from his role a fortnight ago and then subsequently left the club altogether a week later, it left the hotseat available for someone to try and carry on his good work from the last three seasons that culminated in the club’s highest ever league finish at the end of the last campaign.

Step forward Evans, assistant manager at Bottesford Town and formerly having held the same role at Lincoln United whom he helped guide to an FA Vase semi-final, but also carrying several desirable credentials for managing the Greens.

"I live nearby, worked at Carre’s Grammar School for 14 years, my wife played for Sleaford Town Ladies and my kids have played for the club at junior level,” he said.

"So it was a no brainer when the chance was offered to me to take over here.

"I’m a very community-orientated person – I was governor at my children’s primary school for 13 years – so the club’s ethos and aims moving forwards fit with mine.”

Evans added that being closer to home was also a key factor for what is his first managerial role at step five of the non-league pyramid.

He said: “Being at Bottesford meant it was an hour’s drive just for home games, so it often felt like an away game. So do be involved at a club locally is a big attraction.

"It’s my first managerial role at this level but I’ve managed at step seven and assisted at steps six, five and four, and even managed in Division Six of the Lincoln Sunday League several years ago – which is about as low as you can go – so I’ve got plenty of experience!

"I’ve taken every route – coaching, managing, chairman, welfare officer, working on league committees and even been a referee. I love it, but coaching is where I excelled.

"I’m the only one in the family involved in the game now – my wife packed in playing a while ago and the kids are doing other things – but it’s nice that they’ve been at Sleaford and played there as it makes it a more natural fit.”

Evans also tutors coaches taking level three (UEFA B) courses but with the attitude of “what’s the point in coaching coaches and not doing it yourself?” he is now working with a club going through several changes on and off the pitch but ones he is keen to embrace.

He said: “It’s been little secret that the club’s had to cut its budget to be sustainable but that doesn’t mean the players who are keen to stay won’t get a chance.

"I’ve promised the lads here already that they’ll get first opportunity to impress – mid-season is never an easy time to take over, nor is it a good time to have to make widespread changes to the squad.

"The budget cut brings its own challenges and it’ll also need a change of approach to how we recruit, but there’s the chance to establish a pathway for young players in the future too.

"There are lads in this team I coached when they were four or five-years-old and that’s one of the things I love, in that we’ve got local players playing for their local team and it’s a desire I want to see instilled in more youngsters in the town too.

"There was obviously a very strong family tie with the previous management team so it’s a big change for a lot of the lads here now, and it’s a case of whether they want to stay here or follow who they know and trust elsewhere.

"Some changes are inevitable and if those players want to stay together having had shared success together and helped them to their highest league position, then we’ll have to accept that.

"But I’ve been inundated with calls from those wanting to play for the club and I’m not worried that incomings will be hard to come by.”

Evans’ ethos will, as already explained, centre around the community aspect and continuing to ensure the club is a hub for the community.

He added: “I want us to create an environment where people want to be there, watching football, bringing their family and for children to come and watch their local heroes who they know are from the town, playing for the town’s team, which might inspire them to become the next ones.

"Hopefully successes will bring increased gates and create a real appetite for the team. The town is big enough to support a step five club.

"I’m not saying we’re going to climb the leagues and go beyond our means, we have to be sensible, but working with what we’ve got doesn’t mean we have to be sat still where we are.

"We need to be the place people go to play when they’ve finished junior football. You can’t take every U18/U16 player as there are too many, but we want to be there for those who are capable of playing at this level.

"It’s about getting the community provision to the highest level and making it sustainable. You can’t over-stretch it and cause irreparable damage.”

As for the immediate future, Evans says it will take time for things to settle but that he is confident about the future.

He said: “This year it’s about stabilising now and might be a tough few weeks while we settle down and rebuild given the numbers that have left, but this is a longer term project and it’s an exciting one to be part of.”