Lewis ready for the ‘challenge’
Former Oxford coach gets the nod as United boss FOOTBALL
MICKEY Lewis is relishing the challenge of his first steps into management with Hayes & Yeading United.
The 51-year-old was appointed as the club’s new manager late last week following the departure of Garry Haylock at the end of the season.
Haylock left the club in the wake of Hayes & Yeading’s relegation to the Southern League after a disastrous campaign.
Lewis knows the club, having initially joined the coaching staff last summer after leaving Oxford United, with whom he had a brief spell as caretaker manager in 2014.
However, Haylock’s arrival signalled Lewis’ exit and he has now jumped at the chance to return to the SkyEx Community Stadium as boss.
He said: “I had an association with Hayes anyway as I’ve been working all year with Tristan on the youth setup. Come the end of the season, they approached me to take on the manager’s job.
“It didn’t take too much thinking about to be honest because it’s a great setup here.
“We’ve got the new ground, the infrastructure is good and the youth setup is excellent.
“There’s some good young players coming through as well, so this is a good time to be Hayes & Yeading manager.
“I was assistant at Oxford for a long time with Chris Wilder.
“I was assistant coach at Doncaster for a little while as well so I’ve been around the game for a long time and around first teams for a long time. This is the first time for me as a manager in my own right though.
“It’s a good opportunity for me. Relegation happens to everybody at some stage but you have to look at it as a chal challenge to rebuild and I’m very muc much looking forward to that cha challenge. It was a tough league last year.
““Teams get relegated – It hap happens. It was always going to be t tight and I’m more interested in the future of this club.”
Lewis was due to sit down wit with director of football Tri Tristan Lewis and chairman To Tony O’Driscoll today (W (Wednesday) to begin putting pla plans in place.
H He will have to build a new tea team without last season’s lea leading goalscorer Elliott Be Benyon after the former To Torquay striker joined Wealdstone to remain in the National South League. tL