ANDY Whing knows he can count on the advice of Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder and other experienced heads if needs be when he takes charge of Banbury United.
The new Puritans boss has stepped into his first managerial job, replacing Mike Ford who resigned two weeks ago.
Whing, 35, played almost 350 times in the Football League for Coventry City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chesterfield, Leyton Orient and Oxford United, where he played under Wilder for two-and-a-half seasons.
The former right-back was forced into retiring at 31 due to injury and turned his attention to coaching, having now acquired his UEFA A Licence. He worked with Oxford’s youth teams before moving into Non-League with Kidderminster Harriers U23s and the first team under John Eustace.
This season Whing held the position of assistant manager at Hereford alongside Russell Slade and believes the experience he has gained plus the experience of his contacts can benefit him.
“I’ve been very fortunate to play under some fantastic managers”, Whing told The NLP. “My first one was Gary McAllister at Coventry. He was a player-manager at the time but his knowledge and people skills were second to none.
“Chris Wilder has gone from Non-League to fifth in the Premier League which is a fantastic achievement.
“You look to them as inspiration and I’m quite fortunate that if I needed to I could pick up the phone to him, Russell Slade, Michael Appleton… I’ve been really fortunate to play under those managers and I got an opportunity to work under Russell Slade and Tim Harris at Hereford. A fantastic manger to work for and I was assistant there and a little bit more hands on with the players. I really enjoyed that aspect of it.
“In that five or six months I learnt more about how to manage players and people, learning from the likes of Russell who has managed over 1,000 games all the way up to Championship, that has put me in a really good stead.
“I’m looking forward to the pressure, I miss that from playing.”
Whing, a popular character throughout his playing days, will also be able to rely on a friend alongside him in the dugout.
His former Oxford teammate James Constable, below, has joined him at the Southern League Premier Central club as player- assistant manager – and will be able to offer knowhow on and off the pitch.
“We’ve kept in contact from afar”, Whing said of Constable who was playing for Hungerford Town in National League South this season. “The experience he’s got, he’s scored goals wherever he’s been in Non-League and the Football League, he gets it.
“It’s going to be tough to start with because everything’s up in the air. There’s going to be a different dynamic.”
