Former Portsmouth and Bradford midfielder Gareth Evans lands exciting new role away from Sky Sports work
Huge former Pompey hero Gareth Evans is forging a new career from himself at League Two Salford City
Former Pompey favourite Gareth Evans has landed an exciting new role.
Just 18 months after linking up with League Two Salford City as a coach for their under-13s, the one-time Blues captain has earned a second promotion at Moor Lane.
Indeed, after a successful stint as the club’s under-16s boss last season, the 38-year-old has now been appointed as Salford’s new professional development phase coach.
It’s a role, under former Fratton Park team-mate Danny Rose, that continues the League Two title-winner’s impressive rise up the coaching ranks, with Evans utilising his own experiences in the professional game and at academy level to help The Ammies’ latest batch of under-18 and 21 players.
Confirming his appointment on Instagram, the former Fratton hero said: ‘Pretty proud of this one. I deserve it. I did the hard yards and earnt it.
‘There’s a few people that helped me big time along the way, you know who you are. I wake up every day excited to work, there’s something to be said about that.’
Evans spent five years at Fratton Park following his free-transfer move from Fleetwood, racking up 218 appearances for the club and 38 goals.
The Macclesfield-born midfielder was a key member of the Paul Cook side that won the League Two title in 2017, as well as the Blues team managed by Kenny Jackett that secured the 2019 Checkatrade Trophy with victory on penalties at Wembley against Sunderland.
A move to League Two Bradford followed in 2020, with Evans spending two years at Valley Parade.
Meanwhile, there’s also been plenty of work in the media for the former PO4 favourite since he hung up his boots, with Evans working for both Sky Sports and BBC Solent in recent years.
Yet those commitments may now have to take a back seat as he continues to cut his teeth on the coaching side of the game under Rose, who is Salford’s head of academy coaching.
‘I’m working across both the under-18s and the under-21s with Chris McCann and Danny Byrne, supporting them first and foremost, and working individually on individual development plans , essentially using the knowledge that I’ve accrued over a long period of time to try and improve and progress players closer towards the men’s first team,’ Evans told Salford’s website.
‘I came in 18 months ago and took over the under-13s until the end of that season. I really enjoyed it, really began to learn my craft and cut my teeth in the academy and what academy football looks like.
‘I did the under-16s last year, that was another eye-opening experience in terms of how we had to adapt and change that group and how we had to get a certain number of individuals prepared to be a scholar and a full-time footballer and go into the full-time programme, so it’s all been a massive learning experience.
‘I come into the role off the back of playing professional football for 15 years. It’s taken a lot of dedication, hard work and there are transferable skills but it’s very different to how I envisaged so it’s been a massive learning experience but one that I’ve absolutely loved.’
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