Academy manager Dean Wright has left Playford Road by mutual consent after two years, the club has announced.

Wright took charge in July 2022 following the departure of Lee O’Neill at the end of the previous season having previously been head of academy coaching at Norwich City. It’s understood he and his family are keen to move back to their native north.

Having been in professional football since joining Bury in 2010, Wright moved on to Huddersfield Town as lead foundation phase coach in 2016, then a year later followed sporting director Stuart Webber to Norwich City when he became the Canaries’ assistant academy manager.

In January, assistant academy manager Marvin Williams moved on after 14 months at the club.

Speaking in March, CEO Mark Ashton announced that the academy will be aiming to move to category one status.

Meanwhile, former academy forward Tawanda Chirewa scored his first international goal for Zimbabwe in their 3-1 defeat in South Africa yesterday.

The 20-year-old, who left Town last summer and subsequently joined Wolves, was winning his second full cap having made his debut four days earlier in a 2-0 home loss to Lesotho.

Photo: TWTD

66notout added 11:04 - Jun 13 Job for Chambo?
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exeterblue10 added 11:06 - Jun 13 Sone?
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Brazils_Hair added 11:14 - Jun 13 Yes - Sone! good call..............
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Ipswichbusiness added 11:38 - Jun 13 Our academy hasn’t produced much in recent years. In the goalkeeping position it has been particularly sterile; in 25 years just Richard Wright and Shane Supple. It is especially disappointing after the Robson years.
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roysboys added 11:52 - Jun 13 The press release says he has'chosen to leave by mutual consent' . Odd way of putting it.
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Edmundo added 11:55 - Jun 13 The Gamechanger way: upgrade behind the scenes then on the pitch is automatically going to get better, with signings filling the gaps where we can't develop/improve what's in the building already.
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Europablue added 11:59 - Jun 13 "mutual consent" always sounds like he was fired. It should be more like Town allow academy manager to move on.
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ArnieM added 12:02 - Jun 13 Seems to be a few from the coaching staff leaving this club now. A planned upgrade or people feeling displaced ( can’t imagine it’d be the second option but had to ask the question)
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trevski_s added 12:11 - Jun 13 I think this would a great job for Sone, would have so much knowledge and advice to pass on. I think the main problem we have had with recent academy players is that for the past couple of years its still been stuck in the transition between the Evans era and the now Ashton era with a lot of the older academy players starting to leave or being poached. Hopefully (and especially now if pushing for Cat 1) we can produce some quality youngsters again as with have seen glimpses with the likes of Humphreys, Baggot, Buabo

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braveblue added 12:26 - Jun 13 Going for Cat1. We will look for a fully qualified, experienced individual rather than an ex player who is liked. We will be much more professional than that I believe under the new regime.
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blues1 added 12:30 - Jun 13 The reason it says,mutual consent is simple really. Je will have been under contract, and decided he wants to move on. The club have allowed him to do so. That's mutual consent.
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blues1 added 12:33 - Jun 13 Braveblue. Dont totally disagree with you at all. But there's no real reason why an ex player couldn't necessarily fulfil that role.
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NorthLondonBlue2 added 12:35 - Jun 13 Another Wright off?
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Tractor_Boy_in_HK added 12:36 - Jun 13 @trevski_s - you could just end your contribution after "we can produce some quality youngsters again". The three you mention are decent prospects, nothing more at this stage and with very little value on the transfer market. And two of the three are beginning to age out. Unfortunately, we have little to show for the last decade, with only Woolfenden having a meaningful role on the team. This is truly shocking, and a sad indictment on past management. We're going to have to start producing in order to save costs, profit from sales and progress as a club.

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Europablue added 12:58 - Jun 13 Tractor_Boy_in_HK It's not entirely fair to say that we haven't produced good players. We have sold some for decent fees and we have been robbed of some really good prospects for nothing. The standard has not been high enough though to be sure.
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Europablue added 13:01 - Jun 13 Sone could be the under 12s or under 16s coach and move up, or if KM values his input that much, he could have him as an assistant manager which is really an apprenticeship while he gains some qualifications. Who knows, in 10 years the McKenna connection might get failed disciples big jobs all over the place.
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Tractor_Boy_in_HK added 13:17 - Jun 13 @Europablue Yes, agree. I did say "little to show" not "nothing". We did sell a few (but not many), and some poached (but few of them turned out). Sone won't be academy manager. He needs experience, so assistant academy manager at best and more likely youth level coach as Europa says.
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ArnieM added 13:33 - Jun 13 Well I think we csn be certain the new man will be someone with all relevant coaching badges PLUS an extensive CV of experience.
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exeterblue10 added 13:44 - Jun 13 ArnieM, HK Tractor Boy, I’m sure you’re right and thinking it through Sone doesn’t have the experience or badges for the top job. I’d love it though if he stayed at the club in a meaningful capacity - feels like he’s got so much to pass on to others and is obviously held in high esteem by KMcK and the first team squad. Interesting to see who they go for and what experience they bring. I watched THAT academy goal that’s on YouTube again the other day (I think Harry Clarke ended the move) and felt like I could have been watching the first team in the way they played out from the back. Clarke obviously made it from that academy team but I wonder what happened to the others?

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WhoisJimmyJuan added 15:18 - Jun 13 I think the plan will be for Sone to stay at the club in almost a student type role, job shadowing while he takes his qualis. Joining in the academy debate, I think the saddest part is we'll never know if the likes of Charlie Brown, Ben Knight etc would have done better staying with us and become those home-grown success stories we crave.
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terryf added 15:26 - Jun 13 The guy wants to move back north for family reasons and the Club have OK'd it. That's mutual consent! Doubt there are any other reasons!
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Linkboy13 added 15:28 - Jun 13 There seems to be a lot of comings and goings involving the academy which suggests the powers that be are not happy with the running of it. We haven't produced any outstanding youngsters since Wolfenden and Downes. It's time Baggott was pushing for a first team place if he is as good as some people say on here but my guess is he will go out on loan again. Ive always liked Humphreys he's probably one of the best passers of the ball at the club but hasn't got the physical attributes to make it at the highest level and is another one who will go out on loan.

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IndependentlyBlue added 15:52 - Jun 13 Linkboy - ‘hasn’t got the physical attributes to make it at the highest level’. What, like a Foden or a Sako for example?
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Carberry added 16:40 - Jun 13 There's a bit of naivety on here today. The term 'mutual consent' means the club no longer want you and you agree to go (probably with some kind of financial settlement). He wants to move back to the North is just a red herring.
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PinstripeBlue added 16:58 - Jun 13 I am with you Carberry, I have seen it happen many times. Mutual consent means, jump with a financial reward, or we push you with no reference.
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