Stevenage appoint Tisdale as new manager after Gillingham rejected approach for Steve Evans
By Calum Forster
Stevenage have appointed former Mk Dons and Exeter manager Paul Tisdale as their new manager with Mel Gwinnett joining as his assistant.
He takes over from Alex Revell, who left the role on the 14 November after a poor run of results seeing the club sitting 21st in League 2. Tisdale’s first game in charge will be against Sutton United in the EFL trophy.
Credit: Calum Forster
Tisdale spent a total of 12 years as manager of Exeter City where he led the club from the National League to League One while he also gained promotion for MK Dons from League Two to League One.
Stevenage had made an approach to Gillingham to speak to their manager Steve Evans who is currently 21st in League One.
Tisdale has managed a total of 717 games as a professional manager with his last spell as manager being a short stay as Bristol Rovers manager that lasted just under 4 months coming to an end in February 2021. Tisdale then joined Colchester United in an advisory role in April 2021 and played a significant role in keeping the club in League Two.
Stevenage FC have struggled on the pitch this season, starting strongly but with results and performances declining a change of manager hasn’t been the biggest surprise. The league Two club finished 14th last season and were hoping to push on this season and finish in the top half of the table have underperformed this season and the club who are not afraid to change their manager have taken the decision to act quickly rather than risk being drawn into a relegation battle as the season continues.
Stevenage FC Chairman Phil Wallace said via the Official Stevenage FC website: “We needed to bring EFL experience and a fresh start into our Club, so Paul fits that perfectly. He had an impressive twelve years at Exeter and was recognized as one of the brightest managers in the game, so his move to MK Dons and a promotion in his first season was not a surprise. He has developed a long line of talented players at Exeter that have moved up to higher levels. We have got a good squad of players and we are looking forward to Paul creating a winning environment. We have funds available to strengthen in January if Paul feels we need to do that”.
After the Sutton game in the EFL Trophy, Tisdale’s side face Yeovil in the FA Cup second round on Saturday 4 December and then host fellow League Two Strugglers Scunthorpe who sit 24th in League Two.
