Good luck Jamie Reed – new manager of Cymru Premier club Airbus UK Broughton

A day after calling time on an illustrious playing career Jamie Reed has been unveiled as the new manager of Airbus UK Broughton.

The 35-year-old has a tough job on his hands with the Wingmakers rock bottom of the Cymru Premier League and without a win in 10 attempts.

However, the former Welsh Premier League title winner with Rhyl and Bangor City takes on his new role with a positive outlook.

Reed said: “From my point of view I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I’m looking to bring the whole club together to move forward.

“We are obviously in a precarious position at the moment but worrying about what has happened so far and things we can’t change won’t help anyone.

“I’m keen to bring a positive approach that will hopefully give us the best possible chance of competing in this league.

“It’s time to come together, roll our sleeves up and have a go. Then we will see what happens.“

Twice Cymru Premier runners-up and three-time competitors in Europe, Airbus won the tier 2 Cymru North title last term, but have struggled badly on their top flight return.

New manager Reed brings with him vast experience of playing high level football in both Wales and England.

Just as importantly, he has worked under many top quality managers and coaches which will stand him in good stead in the months to come.

Reed has scored in the region of 200 goals in his career from more than 400 competitive appearances.

JAMIE REED – THE PLAYER

Born in Chester on August 13, 1987, Jamie Reed began his career at Wrexham as a youth in 2003.

He spent three seasons at the Racecourse as a pro, making a total of seven League Two appearances.

During his time with the Dragons, he also had loan spells at Northern Ireland’s Glentoran and Colwyn Bay of the Northern Premier League.
Joining Aberystwyth Town on loan at age 20, Jamie made an unforgettable impression on his home debut, grabbing a hat-trick against TNS in a 5-1 win at Park Avenue, on his way to finding the net nine times in 20 appearances.

A loan stint at Conference North Tamworth followed before a championship-winning 2008-09 season at Rhyl as part of a star-studded squad.

Then came a season-and-a-half at Bangor, where he first won the Welsh Cup in 2009-10, scoring in a 3-2 victory over Port Talbot in the final, before adding a championship medal the following term.

Reed joined Australian Victorian Premier League side Dandenong Thunder in May 2010 on loan for the duration of the summer break in the Welsh Premier, scoring five goals in seven appearances before returning to Bangor in August.

Although his subsequent goals played a major role in City’s 2010-11 title win, the lure of a move to York City in the January window proved too much.

He signed for the Minstermen on 6 January 2011 for an undisclosed fee, but a record transfer sum received by Bangor, on a two-and-half-year contract.

Reed made his debut as an 85th-minute substitute in a 2–0 defeat away to Premier League club Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup third round on 8 January 2011.

He finished 2010-11 with 9 goals in 24 appearances for York.

Reed entered the 2012 FA Trophy Final as a 90th-minute substitute, with York beating Newport County 2–0 at Wembley Stadium.

Eight days later he was a 78th minute sub in the 2-1 win over Luton in the 2012 Conference Premier play-off Final at Wembley, a result that meant the club returned to the Football League after an eight-year absence with promotion to League Two.

He made 16 league appearances for York in 2012-13, but was also loaned out to Conference Premier side Cambridge United. Reed was released by York on 30 April 2013.

Reed signed for his hometown club, newly-promoted Conference Premier side Chester, on a one-year contract on 4 July 2013, netting twice in 22 league outings.

He signed for South Melbourne of the National Premier Leagues Victoria in Australia on 12 March 2014 and pocketed an impressive 12 goals in 25 games.

After leaving Chester, Reed’s career comprised mainly short spells at a number of clubs.

He joined The New Saints in 2014-15, scoring four goals in nine matches, then in 2015-16 went out on loan to Aberystwyth again, registering seven goals in 17 games.

Two stints at Llandudno, a return to Bangor City and then a good stay at Newtown which produced 10 goals in 24 appearances preceded moves to Ashton United and Northwich Victoria in the English pyramid.

Then it was Cefn Druids – his seventh Welsh Premier club – where he chalked up more useful goals before returning to Aberystwyth.

At the end of the 2020-21 campaign, Reed signed for Prestatyn Town, where he scored some vital first team goals and helped coach the under-19 side.

In late 2021, Northern Premier League Division One West side 1874 Northwich became Reed’s 20th club.

He made his debut off the bench in a 3-1 win at Kidsgrove Athletic, where he scored the third goal.

At the beginning of the 2022-23 pre-season, 1874 Northwich announced Reed as a player-coach.

Now comes a daunting first challenge as a manager at Airbus, bottom of a league where he scored 102 goals and became one of the most gifted strikers the Welsh top flight has seen.

SENIOR CLUBS AS A PLAYER

2005–2008 Wrexham
2006 Glentoran (loan)
2006–2007 Colwyn Bay (loan)
2007–2008 Aberystwyth Town (loan)
2008 Tamworth (loan)
2008–2009 Rhyl
2009–2011 Bangor City
2010 Dandenong Thunder (loan)
2011–2013 York City
2013 Cambridge United (loan)
2013–2014 Chester
2014 South Melbourne
2015–2016 The New Saints
2015–2016 Aberystwyth Town (loan)
2016 Llandudno
2016–2017 Bangor City
2017 Llandudno
2017 Newtown
2017–18 Ashton United
2019 Northwich Victoria
2020 Cefn Druids
2021 Aberystwyth Town
2021 Prestatyn Town
2021–2022 1874 Northwich

SENIOR CLUBS AS A MANAGER

Airbus UK Broughton (2022-23 – )