SWINDON Town interim head coach Gavin Gunning has confirmed he will not be throwing his hat into the ring for the permanent job but is planning to stay at the club under the new boss.
The 31-year-old also revealed he was never a part of Scott Lindsey’s exit plans when the ex-Swindon boss left for Crawley Town earlier this week.
With the help of goalkeeping coach Steve Mildenhall, Gunning is set to lead his team into their League Two fixture at home to Grimsby on Saturday.
The Irishman does not believe he will be required to perform the interim role for any longer than one game as the Robins hierarchy set about finding a full-time replacement.
Swindon’s next boss is expected to be announced at the start of next week.
Sitting down to preview Swindon’s game with Grimsby on Saturday, Gunning discussed his own managerial ambitions and said he does not feel now is the right time to take a top job.
Asked whether he wanted the Town role, Gunning said: “No, I’m not going to be taking the job. There are some superb candidates that Sandro [Di Michele] has spoken to already, so it won’t be me.
“Maybe I could be ready now, but I don’t want to take that risk. I don’t think it would be right for the club to make me manager at this time, to be honest.
“But I spoke to the club [about my future]. I’d imagine I’ll still be here just to work with the new manager and learn from them. I’m still only 31, so I’ve got a lot to learn.
“I must be doing something right for them to want to keep me because I’d just be binned if I wasn’t, I guess.”
Later in the press conference, Gunning was asked if there was ever any chance he would follow Lindsey to Crawley. The Irishman’s reply was emphatic, “no, I was always staying at the club,” he said.
At the end of a tumultuous week off the field, Town can look forward to the relative normality of a football match.
Asked how Gunning and Mildenhall have prepared the team for Saturday, and whether they have been afforded any license to change much, the 31-year-old said: “When you come in as an interim manager, there’s no point in trying to reinvent the wheel or adapt a new style or do much to the formation.
“You can tinker a little bit with bits and pieces, but really, it’s just about coming in – you don’t know how much time you’ve got, so be positive, be clear with your messages, and the rest will take care of itself."
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