Calming presence of Dean Wilkins is winning fans already at Stevenage
New assistant manager at Stevenage Dean Wilkins seen in 2014 when he was Reading's first-team coach. - Credit: NICK POTTS/PA
Dean Wilkins has received praise from both his manger and the Stevenage skipper for the way he has started his job at the Lamex Stadium.
The new assistant manager was put into the position one week before Christmas and since then Boro have begun a three-match unbeaten run, home victories over Cambridge United and Scunthorpe United following a draw at Cheltenham Town.
And both Alex Revell and Scott Cuthbert said his calming nature was a blessing.
The boss said: "With Dean coming in he’s probably shown me the experience that I’ve needed on the touch-line.
"He’s been there, seen it and done it at the top level and I can’t look at that appointment and see it as anything other than positive, and will continue to be.
"He’s a calming influence and a great friend so it is great to have him with me."
With no fans present in stadiums and grounds, the shouts from the dugout are more noticeable and it is easy to see why Wilkins already has fans at the club.
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He is positive, informative and clear in his directions and the players clearly respond to it.
Cuthbert meanwhile points to the fact that he hasn't spent that much time on the training paddock with the players yet because of the Christmas schedule and the club's self-isolation period.
"Dean is so enthusiastic," said the skipper. "From the moment he walked in through the door you could tell he just loves football, his life is football, and from his first training session he just had a bounce in his step.
"That’s infectious and all the coaching staff work really well together.
"He’s probably not had as much time with us as he would have liked with the number of games we’ve had, especially over the Christmas period, but he’s been absolutely fantastic."
Revell meanwhile says the club's unbeaten sequence should not be too much of a surprise.
He said: "I’ve always thought we haven’t been far away, and I know it doesn’t help being where we are, but I’ve only been disappointed with two games.
"What it is about now is believing in these young players."
