Former Wealdstone and Hungerford number two Jamie Leacock reckons it was a no brainer to jump into his first hot-seat at Northwood.
Leacock was unveiled as the successor to Scott Dash on Tuesday, two weeks after the departure of his predecessor from the Isthmian League South Central Division club.
Experience
A former Crystal Palace youth player, as a full-back he turned out for a host of clubs including AFC Newbury, Burnham, Kingstonian, Hungerford and Thatcham.
He was also a first team coach at the latter and after skippering Hungerford was appointed Crusaders assistant manager in 2014.
As number two at Wealdstone, Leacock was part of the management team that took the National League South’s Stones to the FA Trophy semi-final and a play-off semi-final.
The 37-year-old will take charge of his first competitive game as Woods boss on Saturday week (2 November) when his currently third from bottom side travel to Ware in the league.
Before that, he’ll have the chance to run his eye over them when Northwood hosts Colney Heath in a friendly on Saturday.
Leacock believes he is more than ready for the role with the management experience he’s already gained.
He told the club’s website: “I’m delighted to be joining Northwood Football Club as first team manager.
“The club has some great people behind it who have done a brilliant job building superb facilities and are passionate about the football.
“I’ve always had an ambition to become a manager, so it was a no-brainer to take this opportunity when Ian offered me the role. With the experience I’ve gained, I believe now is the right time to take that step.
“I’m not under any illusions that this will be a challenging job, but I’m confident that we will turn things around and put the smiles back on the faces of the board, fans and players. I look forward to meeting everyone at this weekend’s friendly.”
Backing
Pictured alongside his new manager, Northwood chairman Ian Barry told fans he’s sure they’ve got the right man to quickly turn around their fortunes with the club third from bottom.
He said: “I’m genuinely excited to have Jamie on board with us at The Woods.
“After an extensive process to appoint what we believe to be the right person to help us achieve our ambitions, Jamie will take the reins with immediate effect.”
Images courtesy of Northwood FC
