Express & Star

New Willenhall Town manager Matthew Fisher hoping to restore pride back to club

Matthew Fisher is on a mission to restore pride after stepping into the hot-seat at Willenhall Town.

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Fisher has been appointed manager following a season of turmoil that saw The Lockmen finish bottom of West Midlands League Division One and lose most of their players.

A wide-ranging restructure of the non-league pyramid saw them ultimately avoid the drop to Division Two but Fisher knows there is plenty of work which needs to be done in order to turn things around.

The manager has, nevertheless, set the ambitious target of a top 10 finish in his first campaign in charge.

He said: “My aim will be to create a team that Willenhall – the club and town – will be proud of once again.

“It is a shame where they finished last season, a real shame. I remember playing against them when I was younger and it was a great experience.

“Whether we we are in division one or two next season I will just be looking to create a team that we are proud of.”

Willenhall, formed in 1953, have spent the majority of their existence in the Southern League but have gradually fallen down the divisions in recent times.

Fisher has 15 years of non-League experience under his belt – having been a player for 10 and manager for the final five – and he feels that will put in him good stead.

He featured as a midfielder for a handful of clubs before spells as a coach at Wolverhampton United and Gornal Athletic.

He said: “All those experiences I think have helped me in the past five years.

“Gornal was a tough experience but the expectation was very high so there was a big demand. I loved every minute of it but there was a lot demand to cope with.”

Fisher will be boosted at the helm by the appointment of his brother Andrew Fisher – who is also the Stourbridge Ladies first team manager – as assistant. And Craig Shakespeare has joined as goalkeeping coach.

Willenhall finished bottom last season which followed their relegation from the Premier Division the year before. They were relegated from the top flight after deciding to ground share with Wednesfield.

Their downfall was followed by a mass exodus of their players at the end of last season.

But Fisher has no worries at putting together a new team ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

“I have spoke to a lot of lads from the Premier, Division One and Two who have said they want to come down and play for Willenhall so our recruitment is looking promising,” said Fisher.

“Willenhall had some great players last time and they are welcome to come down to play for us as well.”