Latics put faith in Dunn

athletic interim boss David Dunn.

DAVID Dunn has had trust placed in him to turn around Athletic’s fortunes as the fourth straight first-time manager appointed by the club.

The 35-year-old player became Athletic’s new interim boss in a quick-fire move less than 24 hours after Darren Kelly had been fired on Saturday evening following the 5-1 home hammering by Peterborough.

But as long as he is in charge, Athletic won’t look at options: should things not work out, he could revert to a playing role.

The remainder of the coaching staff remain in place, leaving Dean Holden as player-boss Dunn’s assistant.

Dunn’s goal short-term is to help steer the club away from the lower reaches of the league. The ambitious one-cap England midfield man, currently taking his UEFA pro license qualification with the Northern Irish FA — is said to be confident in his ability to get the squad firing again.

In the second half on Saturday a section of supporters chanted for the manager’s head and chairman Simon Corney held discussions with the 36-year-old boss and players after the game.

By 6.15pm, a statement appeared on Athletic’s website confirming Kelly was no longer in charge.

Yesterday morning at 8.45am, another brief statement confirmed Dunn’s appointment. A veteran of the Premier League and Championship, Dunn arrived at Athletic in the summer on a free transfer from Ewood Park.

He now follows in the footsteps of Paul Dickov, Lee Johnson and Kelly as successive men without previous managerial experience appointed as Athletic manager.

It is understood Athletic had misgivings early in pre-season about Kelly’s suitability for the role handed him in a shock move.

His was a baptism of fire following his appointment on May 5. He was criticised by some for a Twitter posting directed to the Sinn Fein deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, with police investigating alleged death threats against Kelly.

Player recruitment then became an issue for the rookie boss, whose previous coaching role was within Sunderland’s academy, with the feeling that the job was simply too all-encompassing for him.

As reported in the Chronicle last week, the pressure had built significantly before the visit of Peterborough. It is understood that defeat would have resulted in Kelly departing.

Dunn, the subject of a £5.5m transfer to Birmingham a dozen years ago and a veteran of almost 450 appearances in the top two divisions, started in his new role this morning and is believed to be keen to put his own strong stamp on the team’s playing style.

How much he will continue to contribute on the field as a player remains to be seen.