Jomar Wilkinson has joined First Division side Wolves as assistant coach until the end of the season.

Wilkinson, who led Dandy Town to an eighth league title last season only to lose the job in December with the club in the relegation zone, confirmed the appointment with Wolves as Torry Davis’s assistant.

“I’m just helping Torry, he’s still the coach and I’m giving him a hand,” said Wilkinson, a two-time Coach of the Year with Dandy Town in the past five seasons. “I thought it was important for me to give back to Wolves, I grew up in the area and I thought this was a perfect time to give back to that community and the club.

“I played for them for two seasons, our team made it to the FA Cup final when we played Boulevard. We lost [3-2 in 1996-97] but I have some fond memories of that programme. This is only to the end of the season, then I’ll see what the options are.”

Jared Peniston, who played for Dandy Town under Wilkinson, played a role in getting Wilkinson to help out at Wolves. “I made some contact with Jared which opened the doors and I’m willing to assist them in any way I can,” he explained.

“So far it’s been a good experience for me, I’ve only had two or three training sessions with them. Sunday will be my first game with them.”

Coincidentally, Wolves will be playing at the same ground as Dandy Town whose match against Devonshire Cougars will follow the Wolves-St George’s clash.

Town remain in the relegation zone but Wilkinson has no doubt they will avoid the drop under new coach Kwame Steede, who joined the club as a late transfer in November.

“Most definitely, even when I was coach of Dandy Town they created enough chances but needed to improve defensively and by the looks of things the other night [their 4-1 FA Cup replay win over Somerset] that’s exactly what happened,” Wilkinson said. “I definitely have the confidence in Dandy Town to pull themselves out of it, they were there before two seasons ago when we were at the bottom of the tables and ended up finishing second to Somerset. I feel maybe the club needed to have more faith in that, but they made the decision and I wish them well.

“Overall it was a good experience, I owe a lot to Dandy Town and the players. There were some wonderful memories which helped me to grow as a coach and them as players.

“Those experiences will stay with me for the rest of my life, but I’m just sad that it ended the way it did. That’s life, and you have to accept it and grow from it.”

Wilkinson said he will always be grateful for coach Leroy Wilson for giving him an opportunity to follow in his footsteps. He has gone on to win thirteen trophies since taking over as head coach in 2010-11, three league, three FA, three Dudley Eve and four Charity Cup titles, the last in September. They were stripped of the Friendship in 2015 after beating Robin Hood in the final when it was discovered that substitute Kevin Hurdle was not listed on the team sheet.

“I started in the youth programme and came up through the ranks,” he recalled. “Leroy was the coach and I was assistant to him. He gave me the platform to really express my philosophy as a coach. I’m thankful to him and all the coaches at Dandy Town, like Devarr Boyles who Scott Morton, who have been mentors to me.

“There were other people who were there for me, like Cecil Lewis, the president, and his executives who gave me the opportunity and Gladwin Richardson, Dennis Zuill, Reggie Tucker, Antoine Tuzo and [Wayne] ‘Jim’ Baxter who were there for me during the tough times.

“A special thank you to June Wilkinson and Laurie Wilkinson, my mother and wife, and my brother Jermaine Smith who just passed away. They always supported me during my coach career. I remember my mother calling me every Sunday and was supportive from when I was a player.”

Last season two of Wilkinson’s players, captain Angelo Simmons and Temiko Goater, were named the Premier Division Player and Young Player of the Year.

“A lot of players have won awards like MVP and golden boots, players like Raymond Beach and Nahki Wells in his last season,” Wilkinson said.

“I owe a lot to Dandy Town, I’m very appreciative of my experiences at Dandy Town, good and bad.

“We just weren’t getting the results for various reasons. At the end of the day I was the head coach and accountable.

“Tough times don’t last forever, tough people do. I’ll definitely still support them from afar, my heart is still with them. Sunday will be the first time for me to be at one of their games.”