Former Long Buckby and Woodford United player-manager Aidy Mann is to make a surprise playing comeback with UCL Premier Division club Newport Pagnell at the ripe old age of 41, writes Mike Tebbitt.
A midfield dynamo who made more than 100 appearances for the Cobblers in his younger days, Mann has taken part already in several pre-season friendlies, including an Arsenal-Tottenham charity match.
His son Jordi is a talented youngster with Rushd
en and Diamonds and Mann himself was helping out with the training until persuaded to make a late-in-life comeback. “I’ve told the Newport manager I’ll probably need one week on followed by three weeks off,” he quipped.
Mann was in charge at Station Road during the dark days when the club struggled to hold onto its Premier Division status but was sacked and replaced in controversial circumstances by his then No.2 Glenn Botterill.
Botterill and chairman Guy Loveland have gone on to take the Bucks’ into the runners-up spot in the UCL behind Stotfold last season but Mann’s claims to have been on a contract have yet to be resolved financially.
At Newport Pagnell Mann has been joined by experienced striker Darren Lynch who scored nine goals as the Bucks pushed for the UCL title in the final three months of the season.
The ex-Bedford Town marksman was then sent-off somewhat harshly for a foul tackle on Cogenhoe’s Nick Ashby at the end of February in a 2-1 defeat at Compton Park that all but ended the Bucks’ championship aspirations.
By the end of the campaign competition for places up front in the Long Buckby line-up had become even more intense as the UCL’s joint top goalscorer Ben Foster had been joined not only by Carl Holmes but also by former Woodford favourite Russell Dunkley.
Foster and Holmes shared almost 60 goals last season and with the widerunning Jamie Gilsenan also on the books this time around, Mann concluded: “I wouldn’t be surprised to see my old club win the title for the first time this season.”
Mann expects his new team Newport Pagnell to finish in mid-table but does not expect to see Stotfold repeat their 2007-2008 championship success.
“I’m told the Eagles have lost a lot of players,” he said “and rumour also has it that St Neots will have a very young side despite moving to an impressive new stadium.”
Not surprisingly Mann was keeping his thoughts close to his chest when I asked whether or not he intended to turn out for the Swans’ in either of the league matches against the Bucks.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he added with a twinkle in his eye!
The full article contains 470 words and appears in Daventry Express newspaper.
