FC Halifax Town: "I've served my apprenticeship in coaching, I've listened and learned," says new boss Wild

Wild, who turned 35 last week, was the youngest manager in the Football League last year when he had two temporary spells in charge at boyhood club Oldham in League Two.

But that was the culmination of a meteoric rise through the ranks behind-the-scenes with The Latics.

Wild started as assistant under 12s coach at Oldham before working with the under 16s and under 18s six years ago and then becoming academy manager just over a year ago.

"I've served my apprenticeship in coaching, I feel like I've listened and learned," Wild said.

"I've worked with some really good coaches and some really good players over the years.

"I feel that ground work and hard work will stand me in good stead going into first-team management.

"I think it's important that you do the hard yards in coaching to make sure you get these opportunities at the other side.

"More and more coaches now coming into the first-team environment, the worm's turning.

"Gone are the days of 'he's been a player' or 'we'll go for the same coaches'.

"Clubs are looking for coaches who have done the hard yards, done the coaching and worked their way up through the system.

"It's nice to see."

Wild never played the game professionally, but doesn't feel that is necessarily a disadvantage for a manager.

"No, I think everybody has a starting point, and whether you've been a professional footballer or you haven't, I think it's down to listening and learning," he said.

"Don't get me wrong, I think I probably have to work harder to understand what it takes to be a manager because I haven't been a professional footballer.

"But if you listen and learn from the right people, you take advice, shape yourself and don't try to be something you're not, you give yourself the best opportunity.

"I don't think it matters whether you've been a footballer or not, especially now in the modern day.

"A lot of the top managers have hardly had any careers (as a player)."

Wild left Oldham in the summer, despite being offered the chance to stay at the club, and is delighted to be back in management with Halifax.

"Obviously I've been out of work this summer and was looking for an opportunity," he said.

"I thought Halifax was a really good fit, both for the club and for me.

"I can see similar traits to where I've come from at Oldham. There's a chairman that shares what I want and shares a vision.

"I must thank the chairman for giving me the opportunity, I was really pleased because I feel like I can bring a lot to this football club, and I think the football club's got a lot to offer."

When asked what that shared vision is, Wild said: "First and foremost, the Conference is a tough league and we've got to make sure that we're competitive first of all, and then when we become competitive, hopefully we can start to get into the top half of the table and see where that takes us.

"Let's make sure we're competitive first, let's make sure we get the right people through the door, and we can hopefully have a shared vision, which can hopefully be fighting at the top end of the National League instead of the bottom end of the National League."

Wild describes himself as a hands-on manager who has a history of developing young players.

"I like to be on the training ground with my tracksuit on, making players better and making the team better," he said.

"I want to drive the team forward. The two things from Oldham were that we have a plan, and we stick to it and we drive it forward, and from the sideline I'm very much somebody who wants to drive this team and make sure it's good to watch, entertaining to watch."

When asked what Halifax fans can expect from a Pete Wild team, the Town boss replied: "Organised, hard-to-beat, tough to play against, and if we are that, it then allows us to be more creative and attacking in the final third.

"If you look at the goals we scored at Oldham last year, and the games we played, we were tough to play against.

"That always then allowed us to go and express ourselves and be fast, and create chances, and score goals, whhich the fans will want to see.

"So, pragmatic but entertaining."