Jimmy Quinn, the man who led Shrewsbury Town back into the Football League, is wary of a Prostar Stadium backlash as Bournemouth gear up for the latest chapter of their great escape bid this weekend.
Quinn, still disappointed he didn’t have longer than 16 months at the Gay Meadow helm, has been handed the challenge of leading the south coast club to League Two safety.
That’s no easy task given Bournemouth started the season on minus 17 points owing to the Dean Court outfit’s well documented financial problems.
The former Northern Ireland international striker has inspired a revival since taking over over from Kevin Bond as Bournemouth boss last month, presiding over impressive wins at high-
flying Bradford and also higher division MK Dons in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
He’s confident the Cherries have enough quality to beat the drop but he knows his side could be on the receiving end of a Shrewsbury backlash on Saturday given last weekend’s frustrating home defeat against Port Vale.
“When you lose a game at home, you want to put the record straight and I know Shrewsbury will be coming out to try and get three points,” said Quinn.
“We’ve got to go there, be resilient and defend well. It’s a game between two good footballing sides and it should be a good one to watch.
“I’m really looking forward to it as I’ve never been to Shrewsbury’s new stadium so it will be nice to see it. I know that Shrewsbury are a good side but so are we.
“We like to get it down and pass it and we’ve got some good players.
“Any team can beat any other in this division on their day, it’s just about getting a level of consistency.”
Quinn is delighted to have finally returned to League management after a spell in charge of Blue Square Premier side Cambridge United, whom he led to a Wembley play-off final last season.
But, even now, four years after parting company with Shrewsbury, he admits it was disappointing to have no longer than 16 months as Town chief before being replaced by Gary Peters.
Having ensured the club’s stay in the Conference was as brief as possible with a memorable play-off final victory over Aldershot at Stoke, Quinn left Town just three months into their League return with Town bottom of League Two after 14 games.
“That’s football and it can be frustrating,” said Quinn, who believed he could have led a Town revival.
“I would have liked to have stayed at Shrewsbury a bit longer and I felt I did a good job there.
“I was proud of what we achieved in gaining promotion and I’ll never forget the day we had at Stoke – I’m sure the supporters won’t either.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Roland (Wycherley) and drinking some of his fantastic wine on Saturday.
“It will be nice to see him and the other fellas.”
He added: “I’ve always watched Shrewsbury’s results since leaving and you can see the ambition is there to do well.
“They’ve spent some decent money on the likes of Grant Holt and I wish them well, but I’m the Bournemouth manager now and we’ve got to try and get out of the position we’re in.”
Quinn stressed he was enjoying the challenge of managing Bournemouth, a club he has always had a soft spot for given his successful spell as a player with the Cherries.
“I’m fortunate because I played for so many clubs and was top scorer most places I’ve been so that I’ve hopefully been well thought of by the fans,” he said.
“Bournemouth’s a lovely area to live and it’s like being on holiday all the time.
“You’ve got the beach, the New Forest nearby and London not too far away. I’ve still got a house in Crewe but I’ve got a place down here and my missus likes it.”
Quinn added there was a chance he could rekindle his interest in Town’s out-of-favour right back Darren Moss even though the ex-Wales under-21 international recently rejected the chance of a loan switch to Dean Court.
Quinn revealed he would be speaking to Town boss Paul Simpson about the matter this weekend.
“I enquired about Darren and it was nearly a goer but his baby son unfortunately wasn’t too well at the time,” he said.
“I’m just short of a right-sided player – Cristiano Ronaldo would do as well – and it’s always better if you can get in someone you know about.”