Exclusive interview with AFC Wimbledon restarts coach Andy Parslow

BY SAM SMITH

Andy Parslow spent time studying set-pieces during the first national lockdown. His research formed the basis of a presentation to then AFC Wimbledon boss Glyn Hodges and coach Mark Robinson on how the first team could improve during deadball situations.

Club restrictions meant that his ideas did not initially come to fruition. But after Hodges departed in January, newly-appointed head coach Robinson promoted Parslow, who had been in charge of the U14s team, to the first-team staff.

Parslow’s initial role was to coach attacking set-pieces but has evolved to the title of restarts coach – not a job role that is widespread, if at all, at clubs in the EFL. Any time the ball goes out of play during an 11-v-11 training match, he is implementing ideas to either create or to defend attacks.

Liverpool’s throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark was a source of inspiration.

“During the first lockdown, I looked at quite a bit of Gronnemark’s stuff and did a few webinars with him,” Parslow told the South London Press. “I really started to look at all the set-pieces and I presented something to Robbo and Glyn last summer on where I saw it going with the first team.

“At the time, with budget restrictions, the pandemic and the club perhaps not knowing what it had available to them, they weren’t able to take it on. But when Robbo took charge it was something that he was certainly interested in.

“I just find the detail of it all quite fascinating. They are only small gains – we’re not going to win the league on throw-ins. But let’s say we retain possession at 60 per cent of our throw-ins, if we get that up to 85 to 90 per cent then we have more opportunity to dominate the ball and therefore more opportunity to score more goals.

“Throw-ins are such a frequent occurrence during a game. If you’re losing possession eight times out of 10 from your own throw-ins, and it’s not uncommon for that to be the case…if those were normal passes there would be serious questions being asked about your capabilities as a team. A throw-in is just another pass. Giving it proper attention to see how effective we are in those situations, I think it’s a no-brainer.

“On average, there are about 40 throw-ins per game, so that’s 40 opportunities in a game for a team to maintain possession or to try to build a sustainable attack, so let’s look at those. Let’s look at kick-offs – can we try to impose our personalities right from the first pass of the game?”

Wimbledon’s squad has taken well to such detail being applied to restarts. There have been teething issues during the process. The Dons conceded from a simple short corner routine in their 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury Town two weeks ago.

But the players have even texted Parslow while watching other matches to discuss set-pieces.

“In the first week or so, there was a huge amount of detail being thrown at them,” said Parslow.

“The information was maybe a little bit daunting but they have been really receptive in all the areas.

“The best part about it is that they have become more forthcoming with their own ideas. We had a restarts meeting the other day and we were talking about how we were going to defend corners. We were playing around with a couple of ideas and it became a discussion.

“Rather than it being: ‘I tell you what to do and you do it’, we come to a conclusion and they have to manage it.

“Unfortunately I can’t stop the game, come on the pitch and say: ‘Right, you need to be here, you need to be here.’ The players have to manage it themselves once they are on the pitch, so having them involved in the decision-making process is massive. “Without the players, it is just an idea and a presentation. Having them coming to me with ideas and suggestions is brilliant, because it stimulates discussion.”

Parslow has risen quickly through academy coaching. He spent a year’s internship as an analyst at Luton Town after graduating from university, before taking in spells in the academies of Wycombe Wanderers, Brentford and Watford. He is also a UEFA A license holder – the second-highest coaching qualification.

“I loved academy coaching. In academy football, the outcome of a match isn’t the ultimate objective – it’s the development of the players.

“I’m incredibly competitive. My personality has come across as maybe overly looking at the outcome. That might have partly been in Robbo’s mind when he asked me to come and work with the first team, in that my character is much more suited to this end of the spectrum.

“It is that which inspired me to start looking at these sorts of things (restarts) because during lockdown when I was looking at set-pieces, my thinking was ‘what can I do to find an edge to help us to win more games?’. Because I am only concerned about winning.”

PICTURE: SEAN GOSLING