Chorley assistant Andy Preece looking to make a change for the better

The Chorley assistant boss has not managed in the Football League since leaving Bury at the end of 2002-03 season.

His time with the Shakers saw him help guide the club to the League Two play-offs before he was released amid financial turmoil off the pitch.

Since then he has managed non-league clubs Worcester City and Northwich Victoria, before guiding Airbus UK Broughton to runners-up spot in the Welsh Premier League and into the Europa League.

He moved to Chorley in the summer of 2018 working as boss Jamie Vermiglio’s right-hand man, helping the club to promotion to the National League in his first full season.

This year, Preece was integral to the club’s remarkable run in the FA Cup, and is also hugely influential in the club’s player pathway programme which helps young footballers potentially progress from school to the club’s first team.

While happy in his present role, 54-year-old Preece still has personal ambitions but believes the path is currently difficult for black people in the game who want to become managers, and he wants to see fairer processes put in place.

“You have to send a message that there is hope for black coaches, Asian coaches, to get an opportunity,” he told Sky Sports.

“I was one of the first black managers. I still want to be a manager. I have got all the badges, ticked all the boxes. I have been successful but I am still struggling, but you have got to keep going, keep believing that you can change something.”

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