games into the 2007–08 season, and Beard subsequently departed too. He then signed for AFC Wimbledon of the Isthmian League Premier Division towards the latter stages of 2007, and he helped the team gain promotion to the Conference South, scoring once in 17 league appearances. He left Wimbledon at the end of the season, and then spent two years at Haywards Heath Town in the Sussex County League, making 56 appearances and scoring six times, as well as managing the club during the 2009–10 campaign. Following an injury crisis as manager of Tooting and Mitcham United, he briefly returned to playing during the 2010–11 season, scoring one goal in three games. Managerial career Early coaching career Beard gained his UEFA coaching badges in 2007, and already had previous experience of coaching in both Spain and Cyprus. He was appointed Director of Youth at Spanish Third Division club UD San Pedro, combining the position with his playing duties. With the aid of Vinny Samways, Beard watched over seven academy teams before returning to the England when he signed for Stevenage Borough. He was brought in to set up a youth academy at Sussex County League club Haywards Heath Town in 2008, and ultimately ended up managing the side during the 2009–10 season. He was appointed manager of Isthmian Premier Division team Tooting and Mitcham United in July 2010, spending 18-months in-charge, describing his tenure as "a great experience which will stand me in good stead for my future as a coach/manager". He left the club in December 2011, stating – "It was on the cards for the last couple of months. It is down to the results, they haven't been good enough and for one reason or another we have not been winning games. It has been a struggle. Last season, we didn't have a lot of money and we worked hard with a whole lot of youngsters and, this year, too many things have been going on behind the scenes and affecting things on the pitch". Management Beard was appointed as youth team coach at League One club Crawley Town in February 2012. He spent two years coaching in the youth set-up at Crawley, before starting up his own academy in 2014, creating the Love The Ball (LTB) Sussex Academy. The LTB Sussex Academy joined together with Southern Combination Premier Division club Loxwood ahead of the 2014–15 season, providing a