CORWEN Football Club manager Sion Tudor Jones has revealed all about his five-month tenure in charge of the club.

The 33-year-old from Cynwyd spoke to The Free Press about his managerial journey to date earlier this week.

Jones' playing career came to an abrupt end when he was forced to retire at just 25 years old, having had several knee operations.

In terms of coaching, he started off as assistant manager and later became manager of Bala Town Reserves when he was just 18 years old.

He earned his coaching badges with the club before enjoying a four year spell at Llanuwchllyn and later became assistant manager to Craig Papyrnik at Porthmadog before taking on the role of manager at Corwen last November.

Speaking about that journey to date, Jones said: "It has been up and down but that’s managerial life. You experience major highs and extreme lows all the time as a manager and it has been no different with Corwen.

"This season however was different to any other for me personally as I’d never taken over a club mid season before. Players have had to adapt quickly to my way of thinking and also with the addition of the January transfer window, it meant I couldn’t bring any players with me to the club when I first arrived.

I was aware of this before taking on the role but what I didn’t really know was how hard the club has worked. From the committee, to the players and volunteers, they really should be proud of what they have achieved. Continuously improving and pushing a club forward is tough."

But as well as highlighting the positives, Jones was quick to also point out that the club has suffered missed opportunities.

He added: "At times this season, we’ve managed good results against well established teams but struggled to turn draws into three points against others. We’ve also lost one or two with below par performances and these games have been the hardest to take.

"November to January was a difficult period as we had no real momentum. Cancellations was a factor but also the squad was thin which meant injuries/suspensions didn’t allow us to start the same 11 from one game to the next.

"Since adding five new faces in January, we have more strength in depth and I believe we are a difficult team to beat. However, we still need to improve on and off the pitch as the league we’re in is ruthless."

Jones says the "main highlight" of his reign at the club to date was his first game against former club Porthmadog.

He added: "I had just recently stepped down as assistant manager from Porthmadog and managed to get all three points at the Traeth. Our draw against Bangor was also pleasing as the players showed great character and determination against a very strong side.

"The low point was losing to Llangefni at home. A game that we completely controlled but couldn’t find the net. They had a goal from nowhere and we started feeling sorry for ourselves. That day was a huge learning curve".

Asked on whether he think the season should return, Jones said: "If I’m honest, the return of football is not something that worries me at the moment. I have a young family and my only concern is that mine and all other families remain healthy. Football should only return when it is right to do so.

"If it returns, our only aim will be to stay up. We have a few games in hand and need to play some of the teams around us. However, we must win them.

"It has been a challenging season but all players have worked really hard. If the season does return, I know they will fight until the very end.

"I’d like to thank Ian Evans, Danny Jones, Mark Birkill and Sam Tyrer for their efforts since I’ve been at the club. They’ve all worked extremely hard and have been there for me and the club every step of the way. We’ll keep going".

Last week, news broke that a new stand was to be erected at Corwen FC's War Memorial Park home ground.

The new stand, which will hold 250 supporters, is set to be named after legendary club member Huw 'Chick' Jones, who died in February.

Commenting on the decision to name it after him, Sion Tudor Jones said: "It's a fantastic idea. Huw was always a key figure in the community, especially when it came to football.

"I attended his memorial service and it was so nice to see so many people there. He was Mr Corwen, a true gentleman and was truly well respected".

As mentioned previously, Jones' career in management actually began when he was just 18 with Bala Town Reserves.

It was there, he says, he gained "valuable experience", by working alongside Andrew Parry.

Jones said: "We won many trophies along the way. During that time I became a coach within the Bala Town Academy and gained my coaching badges. I will always be grateful to Bala for that opportunity.

"At 26, I took over as manager of Llanuwchllyn which lasted four years. We had great success and I have many happy memories there.

"I later moved to Porthmadog as coach before becoming assistant manager to Craig Papyrnik. We had a very good season and needed to beat Guilsfield in the final game of the season to secure a top two finish. Unfortunately we lost, eventually finishing in third place.

I remained as assistant manager at Porthmadog but decided in September that I needed a break from the game. The break only lasted six weeks before I decided to take the job at Corwen".

At Corwen, Jones says, although "all players have been great to work with", he's been impressed the most by brothers Dale and Nathan Davies, Harry Pooler and Eilir Edwards, noting that "their commitment both on and off the pitch has been outstanding".

He says that players from other clubs who have impressed him include Aron Williams (who was at Buckley Town but has now moved onto Cymru Premier side Connah's Quay), Kevin Evans of Ruthin, Llanrhaeadr goalkeeper James Haynes and Colwyn Bay's Toby Jones.