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Andy Holden takes over as 1st Team Manager
Nigel Sheen28 Jun 2017 - 14:20
We are extremely pleased to announce that former Everton & Hibernian coach Andy Holden has been appointed as Flint's new manager.
Holden, who is a UEFA 'A' Licence coach and hails from Flint had successful professional playing careers with Chester, Wigan and Oldham and received one full Welsh International cap.
However, injuries curt short his playing career, and in 1994 he followed Joe Royle to Everton to become part of the coaching staff at the Merseyside club. He became a trusted member of the backroom staff, and served under several managers before joining Alan Stubbs at Hibernian as Assistant Coach in July 2014. After winning the Scottish Cup final with Hibs, he moved to Rotherham as a coach, when Stubbs was appointed manager.
Flint Chairman Darryl Williams said, "It's been a fairly open secret around the town that we were keen to get Andy involved in some capacity with his home town club, and he has in fact helped out with training at the end of last season. But for him to agree to take on the manager's role was almost beyond my wildest dreams. We've had some detailed discussions over the last few weeks, and he is completely on board with all what we are trying to achieve , and he wants to play his part in getting the club back into the Welsh Premier League. Make no mistake, it's a real coup for Flint Town United to attract someone of Andy's calibre, and it reinforces how serious we are with our plans for the club.
I would also like to add my sincere thanks to Chris Whitley for agreeing to step in and hold the reins over the last few weeks of last season, and we are very grateful to him for coming in at such short notice"
Chris Whitley wished his successor the best of luck, and commented that due to his other commitments, particularly his work with the Welsh FA, it had always been agreed that he would step down once a suitably qualified permanent candidate had been found. However, he added that he wasn't severing his ties completely, and would do whatever he could to ensure the success of the new management team.
Andy Holden spoke of his delight at being given the opportunity to manage his home town club. He told the website "Things have come full circle for me as I've returned to the club where I began my senior football career around 36 years ago. It's a real honour to be able to manage my home town side, and I'm looking forward to working closely with my excellent coaching staff of Aden Shannon, Johnny Hill and Paul McAdam. We will endeavour to do our very best to return Flint to the top tier of Welsh football, which is the least our tremendous fans deserve. We are under no illusions about the size of the task, as I think everyone agrees that next season will probably see the most competitive Huws Gray Alliance League for years, but we are up for the challenge. I want to say a big word of thanks to Paul Davies and Chairman Darryl Williams for giving me the chance to take on this role,and I know with their backing and that of all of the people behind the scenes at this great club, together with our fantastic support, we can achieve the success we all crave".
However, injuries curt short his playing career, and in 1994 he followed Joe Royle to Everton to become part of the coaching staff at the Merseyside club. He became a trusted member of the backroom staff, and served under several managers before joining Alan Stubbs at Hibernian as Assistant Coach in July 2014. After winning the Scottish Cup final with Hibs, he moved to Rotherham as a coach, when Stubbs was appointed manager.
Flint Chairman Darryl Williams said, "It's been a fairly open secret around the town that we were keen to get Andy involved in some capacity with his home town club, and he has in fact helped out with training at the end of last season. But for him to agree to take on the manager's role was almost beyond my wildest dreams. We've had some detailed discussions over the last few weeks, and he is completely on board with all what we are trying to achieve , and he wants to play his part in getting the club back into the Welsh Premier League. Make no mistake, it's a real coup for Flint Town United to attract someone of Andy's calibre, and it reinforces how serious we are with our plans for the club.
I would also like to add my sincere thanks to Chris Whitley for agreeing to step in and hold the reins over the last few weeks of last season, and we are very grateful to him for coming in at such short notice"
Chris Whitley wished his successor the best of luck, and commented that due to his other commitments, particularly his work with the Welsh FA, it had always been agreed that he would step down once a suitably qualified permanent candidate had been found. However, he added that he wasn't severing his ties completely, and would do whatever he could to ensure the success of the new management team.
Andy Holden spoke of his delight at being given the opportunity to manage his home town club. He told the website "Things have come full circle for me as I've returned to the club where I began my senior football career around 36 years ago. It's a real honour to be able to manage my home town side, and I'm looking forward to working closely with my excellent coaching staff of Aden Shannon, Johnny Hill and Paul McAdam. We will endeavour to do our very best to return Flint to the top tier of Welsh football, which is the least our tremendous fans deserve. We are under no illusions about the size of the task, as I think everyone agrees that next season will probably see the most competitive Huws Gray Alliance League for years, but we are up for the challenge. I want to say a big word of thanks to Paul Davies and Chairman Darryl Williams for giving me the chance to take on this role,and I know with their backing and that of all of the people behind the scenes at this great club, together with our fantastic support, we can achieve the success we all crave".
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