Ex-Championship player, retired age 29, now assistant manager at 8th tier club

An ex-Championship player, who retired age 29, opens up on life in non league as he now finds himself assistant manager of an 8th tier club.

Retiring from professional football before he even hit 30, it can be tough for one to deal with, especially when you think you’ve got at best another 10 years in a playing career before hanging up their boots.

Lewis McGugan is someone who ended up quitting in 2018 after a succession of injuries and battles with mental health.

After having a short stint at Northampton Town, he had unsuccessful trials at the likes of St Mirren, Port Vale and Bradford City where he failed to prove his fitness, and called it a day.

McGugan came through the ranks at Nottingham Forest, made his debut in 2006 in a League Cup win over Gillingham and kept a place in the side, playing over 150 times in the Championship before signing for Watford.

He spent two years with the Hornets and then a spell with Sheffield Wednesday, where he was left out by Carlos Carvahal. After a couple of years away from the game, McGugan decided to return to football back in December, but this time as the assistant manager at Loughborough Dynamo.

He arrived at the non league outfit to assist first-team manager Brad Munn, who came in to replace Lee Attenborough after his exit in October. They are the youngest managerial duo in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division with a combined age of just 61 and managed to guide the club to a 13th-place finish.

“I have loved every minute of it,” McGugan said, as per the Mirror. “I have taken to it more than I expected I would. I knew I wanted to get involved in management and coaching, but I wasn’t really sure of the level that I was going in at.

“Obviously, the opportunity came about that I could get into Loughborough, and I have been quite surprised at the standard, the level and the professionalism of the club and the league. It’s a credit to non-league football, so I am just happy to be a part of it.

“I have gone in there with my eyes wide open and understood that there is a job there to be done. Everything that has happened, even though some of the results and performances haven’t gone our way, it is a chance to learn and use that as knowledge to build on for next season.”

McGugan was surprised at the quality of the standard. He isn’t the only ex-professional involved at this level, and he isn’t the only ex-pro to be down there with former Celtic defender Kelvin Wilson amongst the coaching staff at Ilkeston Town, Jonathan Margetts – a former Hull City academy and Lincoln City, Tranmere Rovers, Cambridge United player – now at Stamford, while ex-Luton Town and Newport County striker Aaron O’Connor is with Carlton Town. Craig Mackail-Smith, Marcus Maddison and Carlos Edwards have all played against Loughborough in the past too.

“I was very surprised at the professionalism,” McGugan added. “I have been very fortunate enough to play at a decent level throughout my career, but if you want to get onto the management ladder and ply your trade, what you have to do is you have to go into these situations with your eyes wide open and not be naive to what you may see.

“If anything, I have been more surprised and taken back, some things have been better than I thought. Coming from a personal point of view, you have to go into these challenges with your eyes wide open and I was very aware of what was going to be there.

“You have to want to do it, you have to love football, you have to think about football constantly and I do, I always have done. If you want to do it, it’s an absolutely fantastic opportunity and platform to get involved with.

“But I think you have to really love the game. When you look at it, the really good thing I have found about being back in the footballing environment is the honesty you get. It reminds me of being a kid that football is still like that.”

Loughborough got the 2021/22 season off to a superb start, picking up six wins and drew one of their first 10 league games, however a drop in form saw them go from play-off challengers down to just below mid-table heading going into Christmas.

McGugan’s first game in the dugout was deemed a success as his side picked up a 3-2 win over Spalding United before beating local rivals Shepshed Dynamo 5-0 in early January.

They did struggle for consistency during the second-half of the season and finished the campaign with just one win in six matches, but despite a disappointing final month, McGugan is taking the positives from his first spell in management and is hoping to build on those moving forward.

He continued: “Me and Brad spoke constantly, even before I came on board. I was aware of what was going on and what the situation was like. We just needed to get to the end of the season, we had to use it as a platform to see where we need to improve or build on.

“So, in terms of results, you want to try and win every game you are involved in. But there has always been a bigger picture to what we are doing. We are already hard at work now and you will see the difference next season.”