Former Irish League star on the 'no-brainer' decision to get back into management with ambitious club after important break

Glenn Taggart after being confirmed as new manager of Wellington Rec. PIC: Wellington Rec

Taggart spent the entirety of his playing career with Carrick Rangers, retiring in 2017 as the club’s record appearance maker after stepping across the line over 500 times during a 20-year stay at Taylor’s Avenue.

It was at the County Antrim outfit where he got his first taste of being a manager, drafted in as interim boss on multiple occasions to help steer the club he loves through tricky periods, and upon retirement spent four years in charge of Premier Intermediate League side PSNI before stepping down in December.

The 43-year-old has since thoroughly enjoyed a much-needed break from the stresses which management bring and even had an opportunity to put his boots back on for Barn United, but now with batteries recharged, Taggart is ready to tackle his latest assignment with a club he feels are “going places”.

Carrick Rangers captain Davy McAlinden and Glenn Taggart lift the Intermediate Cup in 2011. PIC: Stephen Hamilton Presseye.com

"It was important to take a break because it took a big strain on me,” he said. “There are some fantastic people there (at PSNI) and a great bunch of players...I felt a real affiliation with the PSNI and I wanted to try and turn it around, but I spread myself too thinly and it was taking its toll.

"That allowed me to focus on daddy and husband duties. I met some fantastic people along the way but I'd just burnt out all my energy. I've recharged my batteries and I'm ready to go.

"I'm a school teacher in Larne and some of my ex-pupils play there (at Wellington Rec) so I'd always keep an eye on them...when I seen there was a vacant position it wasn't something I was thinking about, but I took a phone call over the next few days and agreed to meet with the chairman.

"From the first couple of words that were spoken it was completely sold to me. It's a very ambitious club that want to push up the tiers of football in Northern Ireland as quickly as possible and I was blown away by the enthusiasm and ambition.

"I said I'd take a couple of days and I probably spent two or three days looking for a reason not to take it because it was a no-brainer! My friends, family and people within football all told me to go for it and I went back to my gut feeling of knowing this was a perfect fit for me."

During his management career so far, Taggart has got to stand across from some of the greats, such as David Jeffrey and David Healy, and doesn’t let some heavy defeats take away from the “amazing experience”, while he was also on the touchline at Solitude in October 2016 when Davy McDaid’s late strike secured victory for Cliftonville.

The pressures when comparing playing and managing vary, but there’s one theme that carries over: the enjoyment of a weekend is decided by results.

"I found that you never switch off...my wife probably thought I was crazy sitting up to 3am watching videos on the next opponent,” adds Taggart. “It takes a massive toll on your personal life because you can't switch off.

"You try to come home and play with your kids or have a nice dinner with your wife, but in the back of your mind you're thinking 'we were rubbish this week' or 'we can do this better'. It was the same as a player that your weekend is dictated on whether you win or lose.

"It's fantastic to be a manager, but sometimes you do think ‘am I mad for doing this?’. We love football and wouldn't change it.”

Wellington Rec have secured their spot in a revamped Ballymena & Provincial League Division One for next season by finishing fifth last term and the club’s hierarchy continue to look upwards - an ambition which is shared by new boss Taggart.

"They are so ambitious and want to go as high as possible,” he said. “I don't see any reason why we can't challenge for the top couple of spots and look towards a play-off for next year. I know that's their ambition.

"It's about stabilising the club...hopefully I can carry on the great work Darren (Crawford, previous manager) has done and hopefully we can get a promotion play-off place. This club is definitely going to be successful and they're going places."