MARK Tallentire has this week replaced Keith Pennicott-Bowen as manager of Bracknell Town, writes Dave Wright.

Club chairman Chris Day said “Mark is a proven manager at this level of football and is exactly what we need.

He matches the ambition of the club and we hope his appointment generates a positive buzz around the club and can drive up attendances.”

Tally will be returning to Larges Lane, having previously been there as a player and manager.

The change of team boss comes during a dramatic week at the club, both on and off the field.

Shortly after the shock news that long-serving secretary Darrell ‘Dudley’ Freeland had resigned, the Robins announced on Monday they had axed Pennicott-Bowen.

His last game in charge was a 2-1 home defeat by Highmoor Ibis on Saturday, which leaves Bracknell second from bottom of the Hellenic League’s Premier Division with just seven points from 13 games.

On the same day, the club announced ambitious plans which they hope will see houses built on land at the Larges Lane end of the ground, a brand new clubhouse and a 3G pitch.

The pitch would be moved away from the road and closer to the opposite end of the ground.

The new-looking ground will be of Premier Division standard and so Day and his fellow directors – who no longer include Freeland and Tom Canning following their decisions to stand down – desperately want the club to avoid relegation and decided that changes were necessary.

Day said: “Bowes (Pennciott-Bowen) has been a pleasure to work with and we wish him all the very best for the future. He is a fantastic coach but we feel a change of manager will see us move up the table and create a buzz once again around Larges Lane.”

Pennicott-Bowen was appointed manager last season and guided Robins to ninth place in the table, their highest ever placing in the league.

But this season is proving very disappointing so far, the club having managed to win just one of their opening 13 league games. They have also been knocked out of the FA Cup, the FA Vase and Hellenic League Floodlit Cup.

Pennicott-Bowen’s team selections were regularly hit by injuries and unavailability, forcing him to make changes game after game and forcing him to rely on young, inexperienced players.

Tallentire, however, is looking to address that problem and the club have already made inquiries for new players.

He looks certain to move for players who played under him before and they could include Carl Davies, the former Binfield striker who has been playing in defence for Burnham, and midfielder James Suarez, who rejoined Binfield only last week.

Tallentire played for the Robins when Steve McClurg and then Nicky Collier were managers.

He later spent six years with Binfield, leading them through one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.

He was appointed boss of Southern Leaguers Burnham in May, but resigned in early September amid rumours of budget cuts at the cash-strapped club.

First-team coach Lee Simpson took charge of Bracknell’s match away to fellow strugglers Abingdon United on Tuesday night, with Tallentire taking command at Longlevens this Saturday.

Town are currently not scheduled to play at home again until November 21, when high-riding Thatcham will the visitors.

In addition to the manager, Bracknell also have a new secretary with Dave Bell taking from Freeland.

Day said that club are looking to raise their profile. “We want to build the club up. We are looking for more sponsors and want businesses to become more involved,” he told the News. “We want to become more successful and want to be a club the town can be proud of.”