Football manager Ady Pennock has been offered the chance of a third year with Brunei side DPMM after returning to the UK following a frustrating 10 months.

Pennock had been hoping to defend the Singapore Premier League title which he won last year but Covid-19 restrictions meant his side were unable to compete.

During the best part of a year, DPMM managed just one game - a 2-0 win - before a travel ban in and out of the country meant competing in the Singapore League was impossible.

Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club - the club's full title - have to travel for meaningful competition and have played in the Singapore League for the last decade, having previously competed at home and in Malaysia. The club is owned by the Crown Prince of Brunei, Al-Muhtadee Billah, son of the Sultan of Brunei and heir to the throne.

Pennock, who left the Gills three years ago, has been loving the challenges faced abroad but the coronavirus meant football has had to take a back seat. He’s now considering a third year in Brunei while it’s understood he also has other offers from teams elsewhere in the world.

“It has been an incredible experience,” said the 49-year-old.

“I have loved it, every minute, this year has been tough but there are people worse off than me, it has been horrendous across the world.

“I have had a wonderful experience and it’s been invaluable. I have really enjoyed it.”

Pennock, who once took the Gills to Northern Ireland for pre-season, spent time with his DPMM side in Cambodia ahead of what they had hoped would be a successful defence of their title.

Back then coronavirus had already caught hold.

Pennock recalled: “We were there wearing our masks and I felt the majority of the squad got the virus back then because there was a lot of illness, high fever and upset tummies. It might have been the water but it was horrendous.”

His team returned home, played one game, which they won 2-0, but then the borders were closed and football halted.

“The health minister said we couldn’t fly because they were shutting the country down,” Pennock explained.

The Singapore teams continued playing before the league was suspended. For three months nothing happened, then for a month the team were allowed to return in fives, without a football, before eventually returning to train properly in groups of 10.

The lockdown in Brunei worked, with infection rates low in a country much larger than Kent but with around a quarter of the population. Pennock, who has had four negative tests for Covid himself, kept himself occupied with walks in the jungle but did have special permission to fly home when his dad got ill. He returned and had to endure two weeks of isolation in a hotel.

When the Singapore League restarted, they did so without the defending champions, as teams were unable to travel in and out of Brunei.

“We were desperate to get back in and defend the title,” Pennock said. “But the Singapore League restarted and the health minister of Brunei said, ‘no, sorry’, he wasn’t prepared for us to travel, which is understandable. It was frustrating but I totally understood and we respected the decision.”

Pennock flew back home last week and is enjoying getting back some family time. He has two grandchildren and is expecting two more early next year. By then he will have made a decision on where his next adventure will be.

“I have enjoyed the time at home and being a grandad has been lovely,” he said, taking time out from babysitting duties.

“Keeping in touch with the football on the tv isn’t the same but the scientists know more than us and if we don’t go to football for a season then so be it, as long as we are all safe, that is the main thing.

“I have had a brilliant time out there in Brunei, we are in negotiations, and we will see what happens next.”