Cooper to stay on as part of new Stags regime

Coach Richard Cooper is to remain as part of the new Mansfield Town set-up.
Mansfield town fc 2016\17 season head and shoulder player photo. Richard Cooper.Mansfield town fc 2016\17 season head and shoulder player photo. Richard Cooper.
Mansfield town fc 2016\17 season head and shoulder player photo. Richard Cooper.

Cooper who had been working as a coach with the first team under previous boss Adam Murray was expected to leave the club along with assistant boss Karl Hawley.

But new manager Steve Evans has asked the experienced Cooper to stay on as part of the academy set-up at Melton, where the U21s are based.

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Although no specific title has yet been agreed, Evans wants to make use of a man who has deep knowledge of both the current first team and the club’s future prospects.

“He is coming in as part of the academy,” said Evans. “Really we are looking at someone who knows what is happening below the first team and somebody who knows what is happening in the first team.

“Coops is a good guy. We’ve known him many years and come up against him often enough.

“We had a chat with him and he seemed very receptive in the very early days to taking a role.

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“He thought it through and made it very easy. He said he’d loved to stay and be a part of it.

“So let’s get him in there for six or eight weeks and then we can define an actual specific role for Richard and make sure we are all happy with it.”

Former Stags assistant boss Hawley this week joined Rushall Olympic.

The 34 year-old scored 30 goals for Stourbridge last season and was also named the Evo-Stik Premier League’s Premier Division Player of the Season.