Former Lincoln City defender Alan Sheehan has joined Craig Bellamy’s Wales backroom staff ahead of the country’s UEFA Nations League campaign.
The 39-year-old has been appointed as an assistant coach alongside former Swansea City and Wales defender Ashley Williams. They replace James Rowberry, who has stepped down because of work commitments.
Sheehan arrives with significant experience from his time at Swansea City, where he served as an assistant coach and had two periods in interim charge before being handed the head coach position permanently in April 2025. He signed a three-year contract after guiding the Swans to five successive victories, but was dismissed the following November following a difficult start to the season.
A UEFA Pro Licence holder, Sheehan had previously worked on the coaching staff at Luton Town and Southampton. He followed Nathan Jones from Kenilworth Road to the south coast in November 2022, departing after Jones was dismissed three months later.
“Alan Sheehan and Ashley Williams will be joining Craig Bellamy’s coaching staff ahead of this autumn’s UEFA Nations League campaign as assistant coaches,” a statement from the Football Association of Wales confirmed.
“Sheehan, a UEFA Pro Licence holder, was Swansea City’s head coach in 2025 after two periods as interim head coach and has previously held roles as assistant coach at Swansea City, Southampton and Luton Town.
“As a player, Sheehan made over 400 appearances in the English Football League and was capped five times for Republic of Ireland Under-21s.”
Sheehan’s time as an Imp was extremely brief. He arrived as a free agent in March 2020, bringing considerable EFL experience and a reputation for leadership, high standards and dangerous set-piece delivery.
The left-sided defender made his only City appearance in the 3-2 victory over Burton Albion at Sincil Bank. He conceded a penalty for handball during the game, although Lucas Akins failed to convert it. Football was suspended the following week because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning Sheehan’s Lincoln career was effectively over almost as soon as it had begun.
He subsequently played for Northampton Town and Oldham Athletic, combining his time with the Latics with a player-coach role before concentrating fully on coaching.
The former Leeds United youngster is best remembered as a player for his spell with Luton Town. He initially joined the Hatters on loan from Notts County in 2016 and helped them win successive promotions from League Two and League One, captaining the side and making 117 league appearances across his loan and permanent spells.
Sheehan will now help Bellamy prepare Wales for a Nations League A group containing Portugal, Norway and Denmark. Their campaign begins with trips to Portugal and Denmark before home fixtures against Norway and Denmark at the Cardiff City Stadium in October.
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