James Jepson, left, with director Neil Melvin. Pic: Rugby Town FC
JAMES JEPSON celebrated his 34th birthday by becoming Rugby Town's new manager and the rookie boss says the opportunity was too good to turn down.
Jepson, who started his career at Notts County before turning out for King's Lynn, Gresley, Bedworth, Stamford and most recently AFC Rushden & Diamonds, takes his first steps into management with the Valley.
He's no stranger to Butlin Road having spent a brief spell at the club as a player at the start of the 2014-15 campaign but he will be hoping for a longer spell now as manager.
He replaces Dale Belford at the Evo-Stik NPL Division One South club with the former Tamworth boss announcing in April he would step down at the end of the season.
Rugby ended up missing out on the play-offs and finished eighth in the league and Jepson wants to produce a team that is both enjoyable to watch and enjoyable to manage.
He said: “I would like to thank the board for giving me this opportunity. I wasn't necessarily looking to get into management at this stage and would have looked to play on for another year or two, but a chance like this may not come along again for a while, so it was one I couldn't turn down.
“I know the club reasonably well already, and it's got a great facility and fanbase, and even though my time here as a player was reasonably short, I have always kept an eye on how they're getting on and who has featured for them.
“I know three or four of the lads already, and I'm hoping to be able to speak to everybody over the next week or two to see what their plans are for next season.
“I will be aiming to play a high-intensity passing game. A lot of the clubs at this level favour a more route one or final-third approach, but I'm hoping what we can offer is something that is a bit more enjoyable to watch, enjoyable to be part of on the pitch and enjoyable to manage too.”
Club director Neil Melvin was delighted to land Jepson, who has already named Justin Skeete as fitness coach and Donal Flynn as the club's scout.
“James represented the type of progressive, committed candidate that we were seeking to fill the role for the long-term, and we believe he shares our philosophy on how the game should be played,” Melvin added.
“He has good contacts and relationships within the game at our level and geography, and hopefully this should help in identifying and attracting the right type of players to the club.”
