Gamer to manage football team after FM26 success

A computer gamer who took a non-league side to Premier League glory online is making a 200-mile (321km) trip to manage the team for real.

Pardoe Kendrick, 23, will swap his computer in Hereford for the dugout at Great Cornard-based Kings Park Rangers (KPR) on Wednesday.

The Suffolk side is managed by former Norwich City striker Jamie Cureton and plays in the Eastern Counties League Division One North.

Kendrick, who has also won the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup with KPR on the Football Manager 26 game, told the BBC: "I've taken it a bit too far, to be honest."

His simulated career was inspired by a friend challenging him to make KPR a better side than the Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers.

"It started off as a bit of a joke to be honest... I didn't even know they existed," Kendrick said.

"I never thought I'd get this far, and as soon as I passed QPR I was like 'Wow, now I've got to try and win the Premier League'."

After his online success, the Hereford fan was invited to take the reins at KPR in real life for their home clash with Framlingham Town after messaging them on Instagram.

He feared being told to "grow up", but was instead met with a "really understanding response".

"They said when I go down, they're going to put me in the dugout," Kendrick said.

The managerial prodigy said that despite his love for tactics, he had no plans to craft a career in football just yet.

However, he refused to rule himself out of the KPR job should it ever come up.

He would be a tempting candidate, having just won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and Community Shield in the simulated season for 2036.

In a post on X ahead of Wednesday's game, KPR said: "Maybe the Kings will get close to that amount of glory in the future, who knows!

"Tomorrow, Pardoe will take the reins as gaffer for real, and the lads are expecting huge tactical insight and some top man management!

"Can he guide us to victory for real this time?"

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.