New job for ex-Rovers man

FORMER Bristol Rovers director of football Tommy Widdrington has started work as the new manager of National League side Aldershot Town, 48 hours after his shock departure from Kings Lynn, swapping a promotion race for a relegation battle.

Widdrington had guided the Linnets to second place in National League North, with the top side earning automatic promotion, and the next six entering the play-offs, but an hour after their 1-0 win over Chorley it was confirmed he had left The Walks to take a new job, despite having more than a year to run on his contract.

Kings Lynn detailed how there had been no official approach for the 51-year-old but on Sunday Aldershot revealed they had removed manager Ross McNeilly from his position and Widdrington would take training from yesterday.

The Shots are 19th in the National League and only five points from safety with six games of the season remaining. Widdrington took the Kings Lynn job in December 2021 - a week after leaving Rovers - suffering relegation in 2021/22 but looked in a strong position to return them to the fifth tier at the first time of asking.

He leaves behind a squad which features former Rovers midfielders Josh Barrett, Cam Hargreaves, Zain Walker and his son Theo Widdrington.

Widdrington first joined Rovers as head of recruitment in 2018 working alongside Darrell Clarke before he was elevated to the position of director of football when Ben Garner was in charge, with many fans blaming the duo’s recruitment in the summer of 2020 - conducted with a need to dramatically cut the wage bill and reduce the average age of the squad - as the prime reason why the Gas were relegated the following year with Joey Barton in charge.

Widdrington also twice briefly served as caretaker manager before Paul Tisdale’s and then Barton’s appointment in February 2021 and although he remained in north Bristol for nine months, it was an arrangement destined to fail as Barton wanted his own staff and a more hands-on role regarding recruitment.