Catch-up with Central Chairman Paul McGuire

Following a difficult 2023/24 season-opener against Avenue FC, we caught up with Manchester Central FC chairman Paul McGuire for his thoughts on pre-season and the campaign ahead.

Paul, after a somewhat disappointing 2022/23 season, Central's squad has been almost completely revitalised. What were you looking for in the recruitment process for your new squad?

"Firstly, we solely wanted to recruit players who are on board with the work rate that we expect and that are fully committed to playing for Central, rather than for multiple teams. We want a side that will always give 100% and will listen to how we want them to play, with the courage and confidence for the necessary levels of commitment. Whether that is a wet Wednesday night at training, or a freezing Saturday afternoon pre-match warm-up on an icy pitch."

"A few of the new lads have come to Central through our partnership with Football Futures, and they have been really impressive so far. Jurgen (Sade) was pretty prolific in pre-season, so he slotted straight into the first team against Avenue and he did fairly well, whilst Ebu (Ngrem) will be fighting for a spot in the starting line-up over the next couple of weeks. They have been great additions to the squad and are thriving under the leadership of those such as Dan Dolling and Ruben Abreu who have been with us for a while."

Paul demands one-hundred per cent from each of his players and staff, cultivating a culture of success.

As Central's club chairman, you have a broader overview of the club's future. What are your ambitions for the club for the coming season?

"Our vision is unchanged from the last few seasons, really. We want to continue to be regarded as an amateur club that specialises in finding talented players, knocking them into shape and helping them to develop a decent career in non-league football. Simultaneously, we want the players to help develop the club as a vibrant inner-city side which has the potential to progress up the leagues and eventually develop its own facilities."

"I think the link with Football Futures is especially important here, and hopefully we'll see a fruitful pipeline of young talent coming into the first team. We're hoping that this link will help us to cultivate the collective ambition that faded a little last season, and can spur us on back towards the top of the league."

After a disappointing end to 2021/22, Paul has been impressed by Central's pre-season, hoping that the side can kick-on into 2022/23.

Finally, Paul, what are your thoughts on Central's pre-season form, and following a tough start against Avenue, what needs to be done to kick-start the campaign?

"Honestly? Pre-season has gone somewhat better than we'd expected. The influx of new players and their committed attitudes has been brilliant to see. Chris and I agreed before the game that as long as this approach remains, whatever the result was to be, the game against a known quantity such as Avenue FC should signify a good start to the campaign."

"I still hold this belief, and I'm hoping that after allowing for a bit of bedding-in with the initial couple of games, including another challenging fixture this weekend against Tintwistle Athletic, we can of course set our sights towards promotion and a cup final. After promotion in 2021/22, we had a great start to last season, but somewhat tailed off halfway through the year. even so, we still managed to reach a coup final. I'm hoping that this time round both will come at once!"