Football intern becomes manager aged just 20

A University of Suffolk student and Ipswich Town FC intern became one of the youngest managers in non-league football and won on his debut.

Alex Riches took charge of Lowestoft Town's match against Mildenhall Town at the end of February, aged 20 and 335 days – making him one of the league's youngest bosses, albeit for one game only as the Trawlerboys search for a new permanent manager.

Lowestoft secured a 2-0 victory in the Isthmian League North Division match.

"It was a surreal moment," he said.

"Having that buzz of a victory, and a good performance to go along with it, I couldn't have asked for a better feeling really."

Riches, from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, is an intern at Portman Road where he works as a goalkeeping analyst for the under-18 and under-21s.

"Working with professional goalkeepers at Ipswich Town has taught me so many details, little and big. Being able to bounce off some of the best coaches in the game has been eye-opening," he said.

A second year undergraduate on the University of Suffolk's BSc (Hons) Sport Performance Analysis course, Riches had to stop playing football aged 18 due to injury but has found a new passion for analysing tactics.

Since then, he has worked remotely for a Swedish under-19 club as a match analyst, and as a goalkeeper coach with Great Yarmouth Town.

Dr Mikael Jamil, senior lecturer in performance analysis and sports science, said: "We are extremely proud to see the achievements of our students, both past and present, and Alex's managerial debut is a strong reflection of the dedication and professionalism we seek to develop.

"Success stories like this highlight the value of our partnerships with organisations like Ipswich Town, which play a crucial role in providing meaningful opportunities."

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