MARK Bower insists he is in no rush to return to football management after being sacked by Bradford (Park Avenue) last Monday.
He admits he is looking forward to his first Christmas off from football since the nineties, unless the perfect role comes up in the meantime for he and his long-time assistant Danny Boshell.
In the second and final part of an exclusive exit interview with the T&A, Bower said: “Danny and I are exhausted after the last three years (in charge at Avenue).
“We’ve worked so hard and been up against it for a lot of that time.
“We’d be taking on teams challenging at the top of the league and we were a lot smaller than them, with not as much quality.
“I think a little break will be good, as I’ve not had a Christmas away from football in about 25 years and this gives me a chance to spend time with my family and my business.
Sam Fielding (left) scores Avenue's equaliser against Farsley Celtic on Boxing Day last year. (Image: Alex Daniel.)
“We’ll see if something comes up for Danny and I in terms of a new club, but we’re not actively looking for one at the moment.
“It’s got to be the right role though, a club we can help progress up the divisions, rather than what Danny and I have had to do over the last few years.”
Bower and Boshell had a seven-year spell at Avenue in total, broken up by a brief period between May and September 2019 when they left and Garry Thompson, then Marcus Law, took charge with little success.
Despite only having those few months away from Horsfall, Bower and Boshell's focus on their return switched from impressive promotion tilts to determined battles to avoid relegation.
Reflecting on whether it was a greater achievement to guide Avenue to the National League North play-offs in both 2017/18 and 2018/19, or keeping a young squad in the league in 2021/22, Bower said: “The most enjoyable time was of course the two seasons where we made the play-offs.
“We still had a bottom-half budget in the division, but we built a team of good characters and that togetherness helped us reach the play-offs.
“That group gave us some great memories and fantastic wins, but I’ve loved the last three years too.
“We brought in a lot of lads that had been rejected in the past by other clubs and felt like they had nowhere to go, but we gave them a platform.
“Over both spells, Danny and I did a lot of scouting and recruiting, and with those younger lads, we developed and probably sold about a dozen of them.
Goalkeeper Liam Hall came through Avenue's academy, and was handed some first-team experience by Mark Bower and Danny Boshell, before earning a big move to Wrexham in August. (Image: Alex Daniel.)
“We helped some get back into full-time football and hopefully those sell-on clauses we added in their contracts will keep benefitting the club in future.
“It’s been good to have the time Danny and I had the club.
“There are great people there and I hope the team bounce back and get through this tough period they’re going through currently.”
Avenue, who were relegated from National League North in May, slipped into the Northern Premier League Premier Division drop zone on goal difference on Tuesday night, after fellow strugglers Basford United claimed a superb point at high-flying Macclesfield.
The BD6 side visit 15th-placed Gainsborough Trinity this Saturday and can move within three points of their hosts with a victory.
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