AFC Wimbledon manager Mark Bowen interested in longer stay

BY EDMUND BRACK

AFC Wimbledon manager Mark Bowen has admitted that he could see himself staying beyond the end of the season.

The 58-year-old replaced Mark Robinson last month, the head coach parting company with the South Londoners following a 21-game winless run.

Bowen, who has managed Reading and been assistant to Mark Hughes with Wales, Stoke City, Fulham and Southampton, saw Wimbledon end a six-game losing streak after they picked up a point in the 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic on Tuesday.

The Dons lost 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday in Bowen’s opening game in charge and are now 23 without a victory in all competitions.

When asked if he envisaged himself staying beyond his deal, which expires at the end of the season, he said: “Very much so, because of the young players, and the key to it is that any coach wants to work with good people.

“I know already, in the short space of time, that people behind the scenes are good people. It’s a simple word to use, but they are people with the club at heart. They have got a plan for the future of this club that everybody buys into, and the fans are the same. I can see it’s a special club.

“But, first and foremost, let’s see how the next four weeks go with these games. It’s a big ask, but with five games to go, we probably have to try and win two of them.

“Yeah, we’re four points adrift, but I look at it as still being in our hands. I have got a target in my head, which I think that if we get to, it will be enough to stay up. I have got to give it every single thing that I have got to make this club stay in this league.”

Wimbledon find themselves 22nd in the League One table and only have five games of the season remaining to survive the drop.

When asked by the South London Press if the remaining five games were enough for him to implement his style on the side, Bowen said: “Not really.

“Myself and Eddie Niedzwiecki pride ourselves on the coaching work that we do on the training ground, and that’s very hard to do at the moment.

“You’re playing games, you’re recovering, and then the next day, you’re trying to get a game plan together for the next team you’re meeting.”

When asked whether he could believe that the talented group of youngsters the Dons have at their disposal currently find themselves in this position with five games left of the season, Bowen said: “Yes and no.

“No, I can’t believe that they are in this situation, because I have seen the players and the talent they have got. However, yes, because the club is thinking about the future and they have got a lot of young players in.

“Young players are almost like a rollercoaster – their form goes up, and it goes down.

“There were a few choice words with the lads at half time [against Charlton], and they took it on board.

“The key thing I said was: ‘Guys, it doesn’t matter how much ability you have got as a player – it really doesn’t. I am not interested in how much ability you have – it’s your mental strength in times of adversity’.

“Whether you’re Cristiano Ronaldo or anyone else, the reason why these players get to where they are is that they have such unbelievable mental strength.

“Don’t sit there and think ‘well, I am a good player,’ you need to go out there and affect the game in the second half to show your mental strength. Want the ball when things aren’t going right for you, make that extra run when you’re a bit tired, and maybe stay on the ball a bit longer when the crowd are cheering for you to belt it forward.’

“We have just got to keep talking to them, managing them, and getting that into them every day. Saturday [against Milton Keynes] is going to be a game where they are going to need every ounce of their mental strength.

“This club isn’t in such a bad state. I’m telling you, with the people who are running it, the fans that I saw tonight, and the young squad they have got, we have just got to try, by hook or by crook, to stay in this league.”

Bowen also confirmed that Rob Tuvey, Robinson’s former assistant, and James Oliver-Pearce, who replaced James Simmonds in January as first-team coach, will remain a part of his backroom staff.

“They have got a good knowledge of the game, they have got a great knowledge of the squad, and they have got great personalities, big hearts, and they want what is best for this football club. That is all that needs to be said – that is all I am worried about.”

Xavier Wiggins has stepped down from his positions on the Dons Trust (DT) and AFCW PLC boards for personal reasons.

Wiggins was co-chairman of the DT and they will appoint a replacement board member at their next meeting on April 20.

It follows Joe Palmer leaving his role as Wimbledon’s chief executive at the end of February.