Wilcox returns to S6 with Cherries

There will be a familiar face in the Bournemouth dugout when the Cherries visit Hillsborough this weekend – that of former Owls assistant manager Russ Wilcox.

Wilcox took up the job of being assistant manager at the Dean Court club in December, number two to another former Owl in Lee Bradbury.

He was assistant to Brian Laws during his time at Wednesday, for a spell of three years, before moving on to the Premier League with Laws during his time at Burnley.

Now Wilcox, from South Elmsall near Wakefield, will be looking to get one over the Owls with his new club, but he had fond memories of his time at S6.

‘I had a fantastic time there,’ he told the official Bournemouth website.

‘I went there in 2006 with Brian and looking back we’re really proud of what we did there, especially given the difficult financial situation the club was in then.

‘We had the three highest finishes in the Championship since they came out of the Premier League, finishing 9th in 2007, and we did the derby double over Sheffield United for the first time in 95 years.’

He was at Hillsborough on Tuesday night on a scouting mission for Bournemouth as the Owls took Bury apart 4-1 in Dave Jones’s first game as manager, alongside fellow Cherries coach Steve Gritt.

And he thinks a key part of helping Bournemouth to success will be keeping the Hillsborough crowd quiet come 3pm on Saturday.

‘There were 17,000 people at Hillsborough on Tuesday evening, and that shows you the size of the club and the depth of their support,’ he commented.

‘They get behind their team but like any fans they can get frustrated if things are not going well. It’s important that we try not to allow them to become their twelfth man, and also look to make our own mark on the game too.’