NEW Cinderford Town boss Paul Michael says he is ready for the “huge challenge” of keeping the club in the Evo-Stik League Southern Premier.
Michael was named the Forresters’ new boss over the weekend, replacing joint-managers Chris Burns and Allan Gough.
The duo took over in difficult circumstances in the summer following John Brough’s move to North Leigh after Cinderford tried and failed to avoid promotion after winning the Southern League South & West.
The whole squad departed due to the uncertainty and with Burns and Gough needing to quickly build a new side, they have struggled at Step 3.
The club have picked up just two league wins this season and are rock bottom of the table, sporting a -27 goal difference.
The Forresters are already 12 points adrift of safety but Michael is in it for the long haul following a successful spell managing Welsh side Risca United.
He helped take the club from the Welsh Football League Division Three to Division One and has now been tasked with turning Cinderford’s fortunes around.
He said: “I’m delighted to accept the position of manager at Cinderford Town Football Club. I believe that there is huge potential for this club to develop on and off the pitch in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
“I’ve been impressed with chairman Stuart Tait and the other members of the club that I have met, this has persuaded me in no uncertain terms that the club is making huge strides off the pitch.
“It is going to be my role to ensure that the club makes similar progress on the pitch. This is a huge challenge given the current league position but one I cannot wait to get started with.”
Chairman Tait added: “During his time with Risca he has put in an incredible amount of work both on the pitch and at the club, this includes setting up an FAW Accredited Academy which play in the Welsh Premier Development League whist also driving the club to a new state of the art football facility. This mirrors the goals that we are aiming to achieve at Cinderford Town.”
