‘It’s always flattering’ says Fairford Town’s Jody Bevan, after being named manager of the season

Following an excellent campaign with Fairford Town, manager Jody Bevan was named manager of the season by Severn Sport.

His side are currently third in the Uhlsport Hellenic Premier League, and even though the league has not officially finished, Bevan’s hard work to make Fairford Town title challengers hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“It’s always flattering when people praise you and you get the recognition for the work you do, but I’m not one for taking praise,” said Bevan.

However, the senior football veteran admits the success of the club is down to his coaching staff and players.

“I’ve said from day one that it’s not just me,” said Bevan.

“I’ve got my entire coaching staff who do a heck of a lot alongside me and they’re a huge reason for our improvement over the last couple years.

“But most importantly, the players. All I’ve got are words and ideas, they’re the ones who go and implement it.”

Bevan’s going into his fourth year as the manager of Fairford Town but has made it clear he isn’t in the job for personal awards.

“You get managers who are full of ego, but it’s not really my style, although it might have been as a player,” jokingly said Bevan.

“I just wanted to put in place an environment I know I would thrive in if I still played. That is the pleasing thing, knowing people want to come and play for Fairford.

Bevan watching his team in action Credit: Glos Live

“Seeing those players bloom and flourish is the thing I love as a coach, manager, whatever you want to call me.”

Bevan isn’t the only one at Fairford who’s been receiving recognition for his efforts, as defender Ellis Dunton was nominated for signing of the season after an impressive first campaign with Fairford.

“Ellis is a cracking player,” said Bevan.

“He’s very good and more than capable of playing a couple of levels higher than us, so getting him onboard was a major cue for us.”

“I was fully expecting it to be a one year thing with him going backwards and forwards to Australia, but this outbreak has probably put an end to him going back to Australia this summer, so it’s a good chance we may get him for a decent chunk of next season.

“In terms of football and if we do get back to playing on time, it’s a huge bonus for us,” added Bevan.

You can read Bevan’s first thoughts on the outbreak here at Alive and Kicking, with the manager calling the lockdown of the nation as “devastating” for his club.

It’s been nearly two months since lockdown was implemented, and Bevan has accepted making preparations for next season doesn’t make sense.

“We have spoken to all the players, and they all know we want them to come back. But in terms of player recruitment, it does seem pretty pointless when we don’t know when we are back," said Bevan.