AFC Fylde interim bosses stay in charge for the season
David Longwell takes charge of AFC Fylde for the rest of the season with a single goal: to keep the Coasters in the National League.
Following Saturday’s morale-boosting 2-1 victory at Altrincham, interim bosses Longwell and Chris Neal (goalkeeping coach) learned that they would remain at the helm for the final 14 games of 2024/25.
Initially appointed as Kevin Phillips’ assistant, Longwell had been in that role fewer than four weeks when the former England striker departed following the 2-1 home defeat by relegation rivals Boston United last Tuesday.
Appointed in October, Phillips oversaw just 20 games, of which the Coasters won five and lost 13.
He left the club third-bottom of the table, one place lower than when he arrived, and saw his side fall at the first hurdle in the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
Rather than appoint a third permanent manager this season, chairman David Haythornthwaite has entrusted 50-year-old Longwell with preventing a return to National League North.
Longwell told the club’s media team: “It’s a case of working really hard and we’ll try to pick up as many points as we can.
“From the chairman’s point of view, it’s about trying to get enough points to stay in the league … but it won’t be easy.
“We are getting players back and it’s starting to look a lot healthier.
“The squad is good and there’s a really good spirit about them.”
Longwell was delighted with the performance at Altrincham, though it did highlight one failing to be addressed.
“We’ve said we don’t score enough at times,” he admitted.
“We don’t shoot enough. The only frustrating thing today is that we haven’t killed it.
“We broke three or four times and could have made it 3-1 or 4-1 to make it easier on the nerves.
“They were hanging on at the end but the team was so resilient and the most important thing was to get the win.
“It shows there’s enough in there to pick up points against top teams.”
They face another on Saturday with a trip to fourth-placed Gateshead for a 5.30pm kick-off, after which Fylde host Hartlepool United next Tuesday.
Despite the win, Longwell’s side remain in the bottom three but are only a point from safety.