New role for former Mansfield Town manager John Dempster

Picture Greg Dunbavand/AHPIX LTD, Football, Leasing.com Trophy Second Round, Port Vale v Mansfield Town, Vale Park, Stoke-On-Trent, UK, 03/12/19, K.O 7.45pm

Mansfield manager John Dempster watches on as his side visit Port Vale.
Howard Roe>07973739229 — Picture Greg Dunbavand/AHPIX LTD, Football, Leasing.com Trophy Second Round, Port Vale v Mansfield Town, Vale Park, Stoke-On-Trent, UK, 03/12/19, K.O 7.45pm Mansfield manager John Dempster watches on as his side visit Port Vale. Howard Roe>07973739229

Dempster, who was dismissed as first-team manager at the Stags in December, has been appointed Lead Professional Development Phase Coach at the League One club.

He will take charge of City’s Under-18s side.

Coventry academy manager Dan Bolas said: “We are delighted to welcome John to the club and his new role with us.

“He has a great level of skills and experience that he will bring to us, and we look forward to working closely with him to continue the progress of our young players in the important professional development phase of their time at the academy.”

Dempster had a long successful period as academy manager at the Stags from 2015 to May last year, when he was promoted to first-team manager after the dismissal of David Flitcroft.

However, he was unable to translate his success at the academy into the first-team and Mansfield struggled to make an impact on their ambitions to win promotion before he was sacked.

Dempster had played as a central defender for the Stags for four years from November 2011 before taking a coaching role and previously had temporary spells in charge of the first-team in 2016, after Adam Murray left, and in 2018 when Steve Evans stepped down.

When Denpster was sacked in December, chairman John Radford said: “John has conducted himself with the utmost professionalism and integrity and leaves the club in our highest regard."