Former Leyton Orient midfielder Michael Collins has been appointed as Bradford City’s new head coach.
Collins spent one season with the club having moved to the O’s as a free agent in October 2016 and made 31 appearances in all competitions, but was unable to prevent Orient from being relegated from the Football League for the first time in 112 years.
The 32-year-old left Brisbane Road last summer and became Bradford’s u18s manager, a role he combined with playing for National League outfit FC Halifax Town during the second half of the season.
But Collins has now decided to retire from playing and has taken up the role as Bradford’s head coach, where he will be assisted by former Carlisle United boss Greg Abbott and Martin Drury.
The role will be Collins’ first as a head coach and he will become the youngest manager in the Football League.
Bradford finished in 11th place in League One last season and have been looking for a new boss since the end of the campaign, after Simon Grayson left his position upon the expiry of his contract.
Speaking to Bradford’s website, Collins said: “I’ve been working towards this for a lot of years now. Even when I was playing at Oxford I was coaching locally, and when I was at Leyton Orient I’d be in at Spurs’ training ground as often as I could.
“I’m honoured that Edin and Stefan have entrusted me with the head coach role, but we truly are a team here and I can’t stress that enough. Martin is one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with and Greg’s experience is invaluable for us both.
“Ultimately, for the club to be successful we all need to pull in the same direction. That goes for the owners, the coaching team, the players, and the fans. If we are going to give ourselves a chance of achieving something special here, we all need to be together, on and off the pitch”
Bradford co-owner Edin Rahic added: “Michael and Martin are both talented British coaches, who possess a lot of potential. Together with Greg’s experience we have a very good blend in the coaching team.”
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