I yearn and long to be back out on the training ground and I’ll keep going until that happens, says Hugo Langton

PROFESSIONAL UEFA A licenced football coach Hugo Langton insists he is hungry to get back into full-time coaching after leaving Welling United due to a budget cut in early January.

The 43-year-old, who lives in Tonbridge, has produced a week-in-the-life video documentary on You Tube of a coach between jobs in a bid to find himself new employment.

In the videos, he visits Bromley (Vanarama National League) to supply their manager Neil Smith with video analysis on their FA Trophy opponents Spennymoor Town, holds a coaching session with Southern Counties East Football League First Division side Holmesdale and watches a training session with Steve Lovell at League One side Gillingham.

He also attends Vanarama National League matches at Dover Athletic and Eastleigh to do some scouting, as he owns his own scouting business.

Langton says he is hungry to return to full-time coaching and is keeping involved within the game as he finds a new club to coach.

“I made this video just to highlight really what happens to people like me when you’re between jobs,” says Langton, who formed part of Mark Goldberg’s management team when Bromley won the Conference South title in April 2015.

“It is a tough industry, it’s my profession.  I have no other qualifications apart from the ones I have for football.  I think to myself I have a lot of experience, in 10 years I’ve got 500 games in the dug-out at various levels of the game.

“You leave a club and you think ‘it’s ok, the phone’s going to ring’ and it doesn’t really – it can be tough!

“I’ve been in this position before between clubs and it was a slightly different situation a few years ago and it was really hard.  I let a lot of other things affect me and it can get you down, not so much this time.

“I’m lucky people like Neil Smith, Steve Lovell, Tommy Widdrington, another friend of mine, are helping me and keeping me in and around the game and I’m forever grateful to them for it.  If I can repay that to them one day, I will.

“I’m positive, the situation can affect your family, especially children. One minute you’re working and the kids are excited about when you’re winning and stuff and when you lose your job it’s ‘why daddy is not working?’ and it does affect them and you just want to make them proud.

“It does affect you. I suppose that’s what’s driving me forward, for mine and my family sake.  I don’t expect anything for free.  I’m a grafter and I’ll always be prepared to graft so that’s why I’m putting myself out there and knocking on doors and hopefully something will land.

“I’ve spent my life in non-league football. There’s not many full-time jobs, everything’s part-time. I’ve been lucky to be at full-time clubs in the past. It’s trying to break into that full-time football. There’s not many full-time clubs and there’s a lot of people who want jobs and it’s a very tough industry.

“It can be difficult. You need a very thick skin to persevere and keep going in this industry and I’m prepared to do that. 

“I yearn and long to be back out on the training ground and I’ll keep going until that happens. 

“I am lucky that in a sense I have been kept busy by people who are prepared to help me and look out for me and I’ll be forever grateful for that.

“It’s positive to note that I’ve got hunger and desire to do well and to succeed and will not stop.  The day comes when you’re not hungry to do what you love doing or do what you do, then it’s the day you stop doing it.

“I’m 43 years old and I’m relatively young in terms of being a coach and I’m hungry and my hunger will keep me going all the way.”

Visit Hugo Langton’s website:  https://langtoncoaching.wordpress.com