Shortwood United have appointed vastly experienced manager Peter Beadle as their new boss.
The 53-year-old takes the reins at Meadowbank following the departure of former boss Marcus Foxwell and assistant Andrew Moody last week.
The striker-turned-manager once commanded over a million in transfer fees, playing for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Watford, AFC Bournemouth, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and Barnet.
For the full interview, click on the link below
Beadle met the squad for the first time this evening and expressed his excitement at the challenge ahead on his return to the dugout.
Beadle told Stroud Times: “I just missed football, the buzz, just getting in the changing room.”
A poor start to the season has seen the Hellenic Division One outfit win just one of their opening nine games and Beadle wants to buck the trend, he added: “I think we just need to start winning games and then just pull ourselves away from that bottom three.”
Joining him in the dugout will be Jamie Underwood, who has been named assistant manager. Underwood, a former midfielder with Swindon Town, Forest Green, Brimscombe and Shortwood, brings local knowledge and strong ties to the club.
Beadle boasts an impressive playing and managerial CV. As a manager, he guided Hereford United and later Hereford FC to multiple league titles, also reaching the FA Vase Final at Wembley in 2016.
His coaching career began as a player-coach at Team Bath in December 2003 before taking over at Clevedon Town the following summer. He went on to manage Taunton Town (2005) and Newport County (2005–2008) before returning to Clevedon in 2010. After a spell with Cheltenham Town’s U16s, Beadle moved into youth coaching at Hereford United, where he was later appointed caretaker manager in 2014.
Later that year he became head coach at Sutton United, before being handed the reins at the newly formed Hereford FC in 2015. During his time at Edgar Street, Beadle secured three consecutive league titles, took the Bulls to Wembley, and masterminded a memorable FA Cup run to the Second Round in 2017.
After leaving Hereford in 2018, he managed Barnet in the National League during 2020, before a brief spell at Yate Town.
As a player, Beadle’s career began with Gillingham in 1988, where he made his debut aged just 16. After 76 appearances and 16 goals, he earned a £30,000 move to Tottenham Hotspur in 1992 – then a record sale for the Gills. Though he never featured in Spurs’ first team, he enjoyed loan spells at Bournemouth and Southend before joining Watford in 1994.
His most prolific spell came at Bristol Rovers (1995–1998), where he scored 43 goals in 127 games. A £300,000 move to Port Vale followed, before later spells at Notts County, Bristol City, Brentford and Barnet, where he rounded off his playing career.
Shortwood chairman Simon Grant hailed the appointment, saying:
“I’m over the moon to have appointed Pete. His credentials speak for themselves. He is a very experienced coach that the Shortwood boys will learn a lot from. We look forward to working with him.”
