Frank Wilson not scarred by Tooting & Mitcham exit – and wants instant return to managerial game
By Richard Cawley
Frank Wilson has set his sights on another crack at management after his Tooting & Mitcham exit.
The Terrors described it as a “mutual decision” for the boss to move on after relegation from the Bostik League Premier Division.
Tooting have been placed in the South Central league after a restructuring this summer.
Wilson won the old Division One South title in the 2016-17 campaign and also led the club to the London Senior Cup.
“My aim is to be a manager and I’ll wait to see what the options are – but I want to go into football full-time in the future,” he said. “I don’t want to be an estate agent all my life, I haven’t done this as a recreational thing.
“I’ve done it because I love it, I’m passionate about it and I want it to lead somewhere. So it is about what is the next progressive step. It might be a backroom job at a level one or two higher, just to gain more experience, or get another managerial one at a similar step.
“I’m young. My experience of management is only three years in terms of non-league football. Tooting is my first club, it’s all I know. So in terms of what I expect to happen next, there is an element of uncertainty to it. I’m not that well-versed in how things go.
“But my absolute ambition is to get straight back into football. Logistics have to be factored in. I live in south-west London and it has got to work with my lifestyle. For three years at Tooting I made it work.
“I can leave with a smile on my face. I put in maximum effort and did it all honestly. Unfortunately last season was a bit of a disappointment but you can’t be too disappointed with winning the league and league cup.
“No-one likes to leave a job. I really enjoyed my time there. Had things married up with the chairman then maybe I’d have stayed. In terms of looking back at my career, I’m very fortunate to be able to say I have won something. It’s not all about success, don’t get me wrong there is a bigger picture. But I’ve got some good memories to look back on, and they weren’t that long ago.
“Hopefully it was a building block to my next job or role, whatever that might be.”
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