Ex-Wanderers man Dean Holden is excited about what the future holds following his Charlton exit.

Holden was sacked by the Addicks earlier this season after spending eight months in the hot seat at the Valley.

The 44-year-old admits it was a bitter pill to swallow but is determined to keep moving forward and developing as a manager.

“When you lose your job, initially it is a very difficult period,” he told Sky Sports. “It was difficult circumstances – it affects not just me but all my family.

“I got over it pretty quickly, to be honest. I have had some tough challenges in life and learned how to navigate this path. My wife always says, ‘If you want a boring job with no highs and lows then go and do that’. I certainly don’t want that.

“The first couple of weeks was going through the process of when I got the job at Charlton. I was pretty much embedded in that for eight months and I loved every minute.

“It’s a wonderful football club and we were onto something really special. It was a shame that it ended. I was digesting my decisions on recruiting staff, players and the tactical side of things.

“Now I am moving forwards, spending a lot more time doing school runs and being a full-time taxi driver for my kids, which is nice.

“I will go to plenty of games and see the guys in the game who I respect and have been in touch with me – Thomas Frank, Dean Smith, Steve Cooper, Rob Edwards. I will certainly make the time to observe a bit of training and just keep learning.”

Holden guided the London club from 18th in League One to a top-10 finish last season but was sacked after winning one of their opening four matches this term.

“When you get an opportunity, within a couple of hours you are into the job. You are into a press conference and dealing with a new group of staff and players. That is what I love,” he continued.

“It was magical what we had going at Charlton. Results are results but in the four games we lost, we got two retrospective letters from the FA saying we should have had two penalties. That is football.

“On the underlying data, we were the second team in the division in terms of creating chances and good chances. More importantly, the players were buying in and the staff around the training ground. The fans were on board.

“Unfortunately, sometimes football is about more than just results and I had to accept that. I am very much looking forward now.”