AFC Fylde interim head coach to make Mill Farm exit

David Longwell will leave AFC Fylde Photo: AFC Fylde

AFC Fylde have confirmed that David Longwell and Frankie McAvoy will leave the club following today’s final game of the season against Barnet.

Longwell joined the Coasters in late January, taking the role of assistant head coach to Kevin Phillips.

He then became interim boss for the rest of the season following Phillips’ departure in mid-February, with McAvoy added to the coaching staff in March.

However, after picking up seven points from Longwell’s first three games, Fylde’s results took a turn for the worse.

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They lost nine of the next 11 leading into Monday’s match, a run which brought confirmation of the club’s relegation back to National League North.

Longwell said: “I joined the club at a very difficult time and believe, despite not staying up, we brought a much stronger structure and organisation to the football side of the club and I hope to see the foundations we laid be built on in the months to come.

“I’ve said on numerous occasions that I will always expect and demand hard work from people around me as that is the bare minimum I expect of myself, and I hope supporters can recognise the efforts we have gone to in recent months to keep us in the division.

“I must compliment the players in trying their best to achieve the results we all desired, but a mixture of various factors unfortunately meant we were unable to achieve this.

“I leave the club after today having really enjoyed the short spell here. It’s a fantastic football club with a passionate chairman (David Haythornthwaite) and I wish nothing but the best for him and the club.

“In particular, I’d like to thank the supporters who have been brilliant with me from the first day I walked into the building and I really hope they will be celebrating success next season.”

Having confirmed an announcement regarding the head coach’s role will be made in the coming weeks, a club statement added: “Everyone at AFC Fylde would like to place on record their thankfulness to David and Frankie for their hard work and professionalism during their time on the Fylde coast and we wish them nothing but the best for the future.”