A FORMER Audenshaw School pupil is facing one of the toughest tests of his football career to date – helping AFC Fylde avoid relegation.
Conrad Prendergast, from Denton, has been appointed as a senior coach for the first team amid a worrying period for the Coasters in the National League.
The 31-year-old links up with manager Chris Beech and assistant coach Nick Anderton in a bid to guide the Mill Farm outfit away from the danger zone during the second half of the 2023/24 season.
Conrad, who has previously coached at Manchester City, inherits the role with a wealth of experience.
He managed the Coasters’ women’s team for more than three years until 2020 before accepting a full-time role with Fylde’s Academy and overseeing the development of the Under-17, Under-18 and Under-23 sides.
A former goalkeeper during his younger years, Conrad knows what it takes to thrive under pressure.
He made history with the club in 2021, guiding the Coasters’ Under 18s to the FA Youth Cup fourth round – the furthest in Fylde’s history – and securing a tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Despite losing the game 2-0, Conrad received praise for his efforts and was appointed as Blackpool’s Under-18s manager in in 2022.
He then joined Burscough as the club’s head coach but left in November, citing his full-time commitments with Fylde as a reason for doing so.