You have been the manager at Bangor since 2020. How do you reflect on your time at the club so far?
“It has been an enjoyable journey. The support from the people above me, the people I work with, and the people who work for me has made everything easier.
“On the pitch, it has been a bit of a roller coaster, but there have been more ups than downs. In the first season, we lost in the play-off for promotion to the Championship. We were unlucky. The next season, we won the Intermediate League and earned promotion to the Championship.
“Then, in the third season, we just missed out on a Premiership promotion play-off spot due to a 93rd-minute goal which is an example of the ups and downs in football. But the good thing is we are always competing. Every time we are in the league, we are competing, which is important to me because I believe it is always good to have that competitive edge. Thankfully, we have been at the top end of the table so far.”
You have progressed the team year on year so far. How pleasing is that for you and your staff?
“Absolutely, there has been progression each season but the people above me have backed me and helped me, and we have recruited well.
“The key for me is that the players we bring in must understand that they are joining a club with a big history. Some players were not around the last time Bangor was in Europe and so it is important that we educate them on that.
“I always try to remind them that they are joining a club with expectations and demands, and they have embraced that. We are working to get Bangor back into the top league and compete for the major honours in this country. But it will take time. It is not going to happen overnight. Hopefully, I am the one to make it happen. It will not be long before Bangor are there, and it would be great if I am still here when we do it.”
This summer you have recruited Matthew Ferguson who is a proven goal scorer within the Championship. How happy are you to have someone like him in the squad to complement the experienced players and other exciting young players that you have already got?
“So far, we haven’t had a great start, but we’re still confident. We know we have been unlucky in the last two games, or the first two games of the season. We have been unlucky, but we also know we must improve and start getting more points on the table.
“Matthew Ferguson has been a great signing as he is great character, and a great person. Very professional. He is fantastic to have. I actually played with his dad in my career, and he was one of the best strikers that has ever played in domestic football in Northern Ireland.
“We have also brought in his former teammate, Kyle Owens. With the experience you mentioned at the back, he has been excellent as well. We have recruited three other players who have been impressive for us. However, we have also lost some important players.
“People forget that Conor McDermott left us and went to Loughgall—he’s a very good player. We had Lewis Francis on loan from Dungannon last year, who were sensational for us, but he went back to them at the end of the season.
“We also lost Seanna Foster to Newry so it has been up to us to try and replace those players, and I think we have done well with our recruitment. We have now had a year in the Championship, so we know what it is all about which has helped us identify the type of players we believe can take us a step further this year. Time will tell if it’s going to work or not.”
I have to ask about your playing career. You played for Northern Irish clubs such as Linfield, and you also made a transfer to Rangers as a young player.
How do you reflect on your time at Rangers, especially given how difficult it was to join such a big club during that era?
“When I was playing football for Linfield, I played like a street footballer. I absolutely had no care in the world. To be honest, I can hardly remember any of the games I played in my career, and that is the truth. I am very laid back by nature, and when I was playing on the street, I really enjoyed it.
“But when I went to Rangers, I loved it, although it was a different environment. Every day, you had to learn, improve, and stay on your toes. There was no taking your foot off the gas. It was a completely professional and intense environment—very intense. With my personality, it was a bit difficult for me to adapt to that environment compared to Linfield, where there were also demands, like trying to win every game. But the way I played was more like street football.
“When you enter an environment like Rangers, surrounded by that level of players, you have to change your game. But as I said, it was an honour to be there and to get that transfer. I just wish I could have done better and made more of the opportunity.”
Finally, Lee, in terms of what you learned from your time as a player, have you taken that into your coaching and does that drive you to try and reach on in your managerial career to work at the highest level possible?
“Absolutely. You have to take everything you have learned from your playing days into management. Even from the managers you have played under, you try to take bits and pieces from all of them. But when I am talking to the players and trying to tell them to be professional or that certain things are unacceptable, they often look at me as if to say, ‘Surely you used to do that.’ So, it is a case of ‘Don’t do what I did, do what I say.’
“However, the players I have worked with have been great. They take everything on board, trust me and the coaching staff, and believe in us, which is especially important. Thankfully, we have got a good dressing room.”
Featured image: Bangor FC
Callum McFadden 