How Carl Davies changed Bracknell Town’s fortunes – Football in Berkshire

Carl Davies returns to the Bracknell Town dugout having previously led the side to promotion from the Hellenic League as well as lifting the League Cup between February 2018 and November 2018.

He took over as coach in October 2025 from Matt Saunders with the Robins bottom of the Southern League Southern Premier Division for five weeks and has led a recovery to 13th in the table with an impressive late win over Sholing – coming back from 2-0 down with five minutes of normal time remaining to win 4-2 – among his wins.

Here, the former Robins and Binfield striker talks to William Kruczek about the season so far, picking players and what’s to come.

How have you been since you returned to Bracknell?

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, I’m not going to lie. Kayne [Steinborn-Busse] originally called me, not in a management role at all. I think the role would be described as a kind of intermediary between the manager and the players. Basically, to bring my personality into the dressing room, I think, are the words used from Kayne. Everyone is a bit serious or a bit humble, a bit sad. And he just felt that it needed a little personality added to the environment, I think. So that’s the reason I came in in the first place. And yes, it escalated from there, as everyone probably knows.

I think it was the Friday before the Banbury United game that I was told that Matt Saunders and Bracknell were going to split. And Kayne at first, right off the bat, just said, look, I want you to do it for tomorrow’s game. Luckily, I met Sean the week before as he had originally been recruited to lead our strength and conditioning team at the club. And I called Sean on Friday and said, look, can you help me tomorrow to warm up and then go from there. Sean said yes, thankfully, and entered. We happened to win the game 1-0. It just grew legs from there really.

When you took over as manager, Bracknell were in the relegation zone. How did you mastermind the turnaround and what has been the key to your recent success?

I think masterminded is a strong word. I mean, the talent was always there, right? You can see it in the current show that they are a very talented group. I think what’s lacking is self-confidence. They are afraid of losing because they are used to it. And a little camaraderie and togetherness in the dressing room was lacking, so my initial focus was just on that.

My first team conversation with them was: “Look, the result is the result. Let’s enjoy playing football. Imagine yourself back to when you were seven years old and your friend knocked on your door and he asked you to go out and play football. You just go out and play football, have fun because you want to, because you enjoy playing football. You don’t ask, oh, who is the manager? What style of football do you play? You just go out and play.”

Basically, in the first game, that’s what we told them. Go and enjoy yourself, express yourself. The result will be the result. That’s not going to happen, you know, nothing bad is going to happen in the end. It’s just a game of football, simple as that. Basically, stop building it up so much.

But I think, going back to your question, I think Sean and myself, we’ve both played our part. Sean is a great addition. Like I said, he was brought in just to help me in the beginning and the players really looked up to him as a coach. Everyone really respects his opinion, and we’ve created an identity that players are happy to be a part of.

They enjoy the way we play and they enjoy training. I didn’t completely mastermind it. It’s a collective, isn’t it? Likewise Kayne got people like Ethan to return and George Knight [the midfielder has since moved up the pyramid with Dorking Wanderers]This is a collective effort, but I think what’s fundamental is togetherness on and off the field and enjoyment, trying to bring back that enjoyment. And honestly, the results seem to follow.

Obviously, this is your second time managing at Bracknell. What has changed since last time?

Pretty much. These players are well looked after. They never took their boots home. They are cleared for them and issued to them every training session, every game. They have prepared all the towels and equipment. They get food after training. There are many things that have changed. But something that never changes is the need for hard work. In any game, at any level, you only have the right to play football by working hard and beating your opponents. So yeah, a lot has changed. The club is clearly in a different place now compared to when I was there. But it is very similar in that respect to 3G. Attendance has increased since I was there. There is a great atmosphere on the pitch. And it’s a really nice facility, especially for Step 3, for us and the players to enjoy having around.

You mentioned the number of fans and the number of viewers increasing. How have the fans been since your return and how big a role do they play at the club?

Oh, it’s so big. They are huge for all clubs. They are amazing. They were very accepting of me, always trying to buy me a beer after the game. I’ve done a few Q&A sessions with them and WhatsApp and everyone has really spoken highly of me and Sean, so it’s all been great.

Basically they are the 12th man. So when you’re 2-0 down in the 85th minute, you need the crowd’s support and they were always there. They deserve a lot of credit for sticking with us when things weren’t so good. Hopefully now they can enjoy a bit of the football they love to watch and find success at the end of it all with a little luck.

What have you been up to since leaving Bracknell in 2018 until now?

I was at Binfield and then COVID hit and there was a break in the season, and I didn’t come back. I had my son George, he was one year old I think. I have started a new business. So, life outside of football is a bit chaotic. I decided after the COVID outbreak not to bother going back.

This is actually something I regret because Binfield made it to the Vase final that season, which I ended up watching at Wembley. But that’s when I left. Since then, I started a business. I now have three children. I’m sure they’ve kept me busy for the last six years.

I haven’t been very involved in football. I have played for Windsor Vets and Bracknell Vets, but since then I have not been involved in football other than vets. Honestly, I didn’t think I would miss it until I was invited back. And then, yeah, when you go back there and you’re around the players, you remember why you love it so much. It was a bit of a surprise when Kayne called me, but I’m so grateful he called me.

For the end of the season, what is the ultimate goal? Does a play-off spot interest you?

I think success means stability this season. So staying will be a success compared to when we took over. I think the play-offs are a stretch, if I’m honest. Of course this would be an extraordinary thing, but I think our focus must be on getting as many points as possible so we can get safety first.

Whatever comes from there is just a bonus on top. I think if we get a top half position, that would be a great accomplishment, which is probably my immediate target that I’ve set myself, if you will, or internally with Sean. People forget our existence very quickly. I think if anyone had been offered a points tally like the one we have now, when we first took the job, they would have thrown in the towel.

This interview was conducted and written by William Kruczek and is his first interview for Football in Berkshire. If you would like to write regularly, or contribute to the website, please click here to find out more.