DENSHAW-RAISED Pete Wild, regarded as one of the brightest young managers in football, is looking forward to a new managerial challenge after being appointed boss of Sky Bet League Two club Barrow.
The 37-year-old had spent the last three seasons at FC Halifax Town where, despite reportedly having a bottom-six budget, they twice reached the Vanarama National League play-offs and on the other occasion missed out on the last day.
Wild, who lives in Royton, explained it was a goal to manage again in the EFL, having previously done so in two short spells at OIdham Athletic.
After quitting FC Halifax Town, Wild, who has signed a three-year deal at Barrow, said: “In football, you don’t often walk out of the front door – usually you are kicked out of the back.
“It was a massive ambition to get back into the EFL, test myself at the next level and see how far I can go.
“What I liked about Barrow is that it is a good project with local people and the town at the heart of it.
“They have been back in the EFL for two seasons and, after a couple of false starts, are now ready to progress on a journey and hopefully I can drive them forward.
“There is great potential, and the club could be anything it wants. It has a chance to really progress, whether steady or accelerated.”
Wild added he and Bluebirds’ director of football Ian Wood, who he knows well, have been given a brief to drive the club forward.
He also revealed he had “offers on the table” from clubs in League One, League Two, National League and from Scotland.
Wild added the three years at FC Halifax Town, where he managed for just under 150 games with a near 50 per cent win rate, had benefited him greatly.
He explained: “I would say the Halifax experience has helped shape me and I am a far better person coming out of it.
“I am a lot more experiences, though I accept I still have a lot to learn.”
Wild was delighted with the success he achieved at FC Halifax Town, continuing: “We were definitely punching above our weight as we had a bottom-six budget which was very pleasing.
“It shows what can be done with good organisation, structure and recruitment.”
Wild will be assisted by Adam Temple who has left Manchester City’s academy as Chris Millington, his number two at Halifax, has been given the main job.
He has 14 contracted players for next season, including former Oldham Athletic pair Connor Brown and Ollie Banks, and is looking to bring in a further 11.
Barrow has long been regarded as a football outpost and difficult to attract players.
However, in recent years they have trained primarily in Manchester and have recently opened a new permanent training base at De La Salle Sports and Social Club.
“It is far easier to recruit players to Manchester than making them move to Cumbria. We will then just travel to home games on the day.”
It has been an extraordinary journey for Wild, whose mother Lilian still lives in Denshaw, as he never played the game professionally.
Wild, whose father was licensee at The Junction, Denshaw, and his parents also ran other Oldham pubs including the Roebuck Inn, Strinesdale, Regent and Trap Inn.
He said: “I did all sorts of jobs. I cut trees down, I was an apprentice mechanic. My mum and dad had boozers, so I used to look after the pubs for them. Then, in the evening I would go out and coach.”
Realising he was never good enough to play at a decent level, Wild began studying for his coaching badges aged 18.
He found a part-time role with Oldham Council, working in their sports department. Later, he became a development officer at the Manchester FA and then came a stint in charge of Oldham’s schoolboys’ team.
“The academy manager’s lad at Oldham was a member of that team and offered me a job,” says Wild who is a lifelong Latics’ fan.
Again, the post was part-time, meaning there was no way he could give up the day job, be that in his parents’ pub or his later role digging up roads.
Only when his big break arrived through an offer to coach Oldham’s 12-16 age groups could he focus solely on football.
“I made a leap of faith to work in Oldham’s academy and have never looked back,” says Wild, who took a pay cut to join his boyhood club full-time.
Five years later and Wild was taking charge of the first team following the sacking of Uppermill-based Frank Bunn and masterminding the FA Cup win at Premier League Fulham.
Wild had a ticket to sit with the fans at Craven Cottage but, after Bunn’s dismissal, was unexpectedly put in charge of the first team aged 34 and spent the evening of that shock win at Fulham sitting in the Match of the Day studio after sharing a glass of red wine with former Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri in his Craven Cottage office.
“It has been a good journey so far, and I hope to keep it going.
“It has been brought about by hard work, dedication, knowing what I wanted to be, and being lucky. So far it has paid off,” he concluded.
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