Breaking news: Matt Taylor becomes new Wealdstone manager

Wealdstone Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Matt Taylor as our new First Team Manager. 

Taylor, 42, arrives at Wealdstone with rich experience in the game having managed Swindon Town, Walsall and Shrewsbury Town on the back of a stellar playing career that saw him amass more than 300 Premier League appearances for Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United, and Burnley.

“We are thrilled to welcome Matt to Wealdstone," said Wealdstone FC Chairman Rory Fitzgerald.

"His experience at the top levels of football, both as a player and a coach, will be invaluable as we strive to develop our club to achieve our long-term ambitions. Matt's vision for the team, his clear principles for how he wants us to play and his track record of developing young talent are exactly what we need.”

As part of the coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur, Taylor specialised in nurturing young talent as the Under-18 manager at the Premier League club. Holding the UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching qualification in Europe, Taylor has managed in the Football League, initially as the interim manager at Swindon Town in 2018 and then permanent appointments managing Walsall in League Two and Shrewsbury Town in League One.

"I am excited to join Wealdstone," said Taylor. "We have a great opportunity to build something special here, and I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Joining Taylor in this new chapter will be Paul Hughes, who has been appointed as Assistant Manager.

Hughes brings a wealth of experience in football management. A former professional footballer with more than 100 appearances for clubs including Chelsea and Luton Town, Hughes transitioned to management with significant impact. Most notably, he led Kings Langley to three consecutive promotions and achieved impressive feats with Hayes & Yeading, including a standout Isthmian League South Central Title in 2019 and a memorable run in the FA Cup.

Further additions to the coaching staff will be made in the coming week.

First Team Coach Sam Cox has left the club. The board, along with everyone connected with the club, extends heartfelt thanks to Sam for his dedication and leadership in very difficult circumstances. Under his guidance in the last five games of last season, the club successfully maintained its position in the National League for a fifth consecutive year, and we are deeply grateful for his contributions. We wish Sam the very best in his future career.

Strength and Conditioning Coach Rachel Hill has also left the club. Rachel joined the Stones for the 2019/2020 season and has played a key role in our journey through the National League. We thank Rachel for all her hard work and efforts over the last five years and wish her every success in the future. 

We'll bring you the first thoughts from the new management team next week and will be arranging a Meet the Manager session for our supporters in due course.

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