Walsall Football Club are delighted to confirm the appointment of Gary Waddock as Assistant Head Coach.
The 61-year-old arrives with over 17 years of experience in coaching and management.
His most recent post was as Mark Bonner’s assistant at League One side Cambridge United where he enjoyed a successful spell, being part of the promotion winning campaign in 2021 and establishing the U’s in League One.
Waddock’s first coaching role came at Queens Park Rangers, working in the Academy. In February 2006, he took charge as Caretaker Manager before landing the role on a permanent basis after guiding them to Championship safety.
His tenure as Manager came to an end in September 2006 but he remained at QPR to assist John Gregory.
In May 2007, Waddock was appointed as Manager of National League club Aldershot Town and won the league title with an impressive 101 points in his first season in charge.
After guiding the Shots to a comfortable mid-table finish in their first season in League Two, he was then appointed Manager of Wycombe Wanderers in October 2009. He added another promotion to his CV in the 2010-11 season as the Chairboys finished third in League Two.
He left Adams Park in September 2012 and had a spell at Milton Keynes Dons as Head of Coaching, working alongside Karl Robinson.
A short spell as Head Coach at Oxford United followed before stints as Assistant Manager at Barnet and Portsmouth.
He returned to Aldershot in 2016 and qualified for the National League play-offs in 2017 and 2018 but just missed out on gaining promotion. Waddock left the EBB Stadium in 2019.
A stint at Southend United followed before his move to Cambridge in 2020.
Waddock also had a distinguished playing career. He represented QPR (where he played in the 1982 FA Cup final), Charleroi, Millwall, Swindon Town, Bristol Rovers and Luton Town. He also played 21 times for Republic of Ireland between 1980 and 1990.
He is now looking forward to his new challenge working with Mat Sadler at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.
“I’m excited by the challenge,” he said.
“I had conversations with Mat and the owners over the last few weeks. It was a thorough interview process but I got on really well with Mat and I’m looking forward to working with him and the owners.
“There’s a plan and a vision with what the owners have put in place and what they are going to put in place so it feels like exciting times ahead.
“I’m looking forward to getting on the grass with Mat and the players and getting our vision across on the playing side.”
Sadler feels Waddock will be a big asset to the team.
“I’m delighted Gary’s going to share this journey with us and share this journey with me,” he said.
“It’s been a really extensive process in finding the perfect candidate that I feel will help bring us on and the perfect candidate for the environment, how I want it to look and Gary ticked all of those boxes.
“He’s vastly experienced, he’s worked at a number of football clubs, been a manager a number of times and every role he has undertaken, he’s done so with professionalism and hard work.
“He’s a fantastic person and he will be a really big asset to the environment here.”
Co-Chairman Ben Boycott added: “We are pleased to welcome Gary to Walsall Football Club. With his character, drive, knowledge of the game, and extensive experience, we believe he will be a valuable addition to our club."
