Southern League Managers (Part Five)

The fifth batch of former bosses.

Former Derby County and Preston North End left-winger ANGUS MORRISON was appointed as player-manager of Southern League North West club Nuneaton Borough for the 1958/59 season.

Morrison had played 15 games for Millwall in 1957/58, scoring 4 goals.

He made well over 300 League appearances, including the 1954 FA Cup Final
when he was on the losing side for Preston against West Bromwich Albion and was also a Scotland B international.

As Morrison looked at potential new signings, an amazing crowd of 1,800 turned up to watch a trial match at Manor Park!

From those trial games and Morrison`s book of contacts came a host of new arrivals at Manor Park.

But two of Morrison`s best signings came a little later in the season.

Nuneaton supporters received an early Christmas present with the return of popular forward Ken Plant.

Plant was transferred by Boro to Bury for £1,000 after their successful FA Cup run in the 1949/50 season.

He later moved to Colchester United, from where he re-joined his home-town club.

Plant went on to become the first player to score 100 goals for Boro and continued to find the net before stepping down at the age of 35.

In 1961 he became player-manager at Atherstone United and then linked up with Morrison again at Belper Town for a couple of seasons.

Early in the New Year, Morrison made was to turn out to be another significant signing in Malcolm Barrass.

Barrass played centre-half for Bolton Wanderers in that dramatic 1953 Wembley FA Cup Final in which Blackpool, after being 3-1 down late in the game, hit back to win 4-3.

The son of an ex-League player and a native of Blackpool, Barrass was with Bolton for thirteen seasons, during which time he played for England on four occasions.

He then joined Sheffield United and until just before signing for Boro, he was player-manager of Wigan Athletic on a three-year contract, but after serving only seven months he was offered an attractive representative job and as a result asked to be released.

In February 1959, Morrison was offered and accepted a new three-year contract from the end of his current deal which ends in May.

At the end of the 58/59 season, the Southern League divisions were restructured.

The top eleven clubs in each division formed a new Premier Division and Nuneaton finished eighth.

It certainly didn`t work out for Morrison or Boro, who were relegated along with Poole Town, Barry Town and Kettering Town.

It didn`t help Boro that at the end of February, they lost their excellent young goalkeeper Mike Gibson, who was transferred to Shrewsbury Town, who paid a fee and agreed to play a friendly at Manor Park.

He went on to make over 500 League appearances for the Shrews, Gillingham and Bristol City, for whom he made over 300.

Morrison was told by the club`s directors to lower the age of his squad, which was one of the oldest in the division.

And one of his new recruits was left back Geoff Coleman, formerly with Northampton Town and Lockheed Leamington, who was later to manage the club.

Morrison resigned as manager in January 1961 amidst rumours that the club were again struggling financially and were considering resigning from the Southern League.

In the end, they decided to stay in the league and went back to the old way of team selection being in the hands of the Board of Directors.

JOHN CHAMBERS had a terrific record as manager of Kidderminster Harriers.

Taking over in 1979 in the Southern League Midland Division having been assistant manager to Alan Grundy, Chambers started off as player-manager and went on to possess a 62.35% win ratio from 324 games, which is a phenomenal record.

Chambers started his career with Aston Villa. He made just a couple of first team appearances for Villa before moving to Southend United in 1969.

He played 7 times in midfield for the Shrimpers before returning to the Midlands to sign for Bromsgrove Rovers and then Kidderminster.

He played for Harriers in the Southern League before becoming player/assistant manager to Grundy.

He left Harriers and was replaced by Graham Allner, who of course went on to become a legendary figure at Aggborough.

Chambers continued in management with Alvechurch in 1984 and then Stourbridge.

The Glassboys made steady progress under Chambers, culminating in winning the Southern Midland Division title in 1991, suffering only one defeat at home all season and dropping just five points, whilst conceding less than a goal a game.

But disappointment followed when Southern League officials refused promotion due to the shared use of the ground with the Cricket Club.

Season 92/93 also proved to be a truly remarkable season. League form was inconsistent, however, following a memorable run in the Southern League Cup, Stourbridge reached the final, although Chambers resigned shortly before.

Chambers took over as manager of Southern Premier Division Halesowen Town in 1998 and finished 8th and 11th but resigned in September 2000 – the Yeltz were relegated at the end of the season.

Chambers later spent many years as manager of the Aston Villa `Old Boys` team.

ALF ACKERMAN (pictured) was a South African, born in Pretoria, who, nevertheless, spent the majority of his career in Scotland and England.

He played for Clyde, Hull City, Norwich City, Derby County, Carlisle United and Millwall.

He was selected to play for the Third Division North side against the South in April 1957.

After retiring as a player in 1961, Ackerman became player-manager of Dartford.

Ackerman was the man who signed Les Burns, who went on to become a legend with the Darts playing for the club from 1961 to 1975, making 642 appearances and scoring 76 goals.

Ackerman helped Dartford to promotion from the Southern League First Division in 1961 but left in 1966 after they suffered relegation from the Premier Division.

Ackerman didn`t move far to take his next job, taking over at Dartford`s league rivals Gravesend & Northfleet.

His appointment in 1968 finally brought some stability to Fleet after a period of turmoil and he engineered a slow but steady revival that brought much better prospects for the 1970s.

It was Ackerman who brought a certain Roy Hodgson to Stonebridge Road.

After starting his career with Crystal Palace, Hodgson dropped into the non-League game with Tonbridge Angels in 1966, joining Fleet three years later.

Ackerman finally hauled the club out of the doldrums in 1970/71, a third-place finish earning the Fleet their first promotion – and it was back to the Premier Division of the Southern League.

It was a short-lived stay, however, that lasted just one season, with Fleet conceding 110 goals and finishing bottom of the pile in 1971/72.

Ackerman resigned in 1974 after a tenth-place finish in the First Division and he returned to his native South Africa in the mid-1970s, where he lived until his death in 1988 at the age of 59.

TERRY HENNESSEY was a renowned Wales international defender or midfielder who started his career with Birmingham City.

He was part of the Blues` side that won the League Cup in 1963 and went on to play 178 times, scoring 3 goals, before being transferred to Nottingham Forest in November 1965.

He was appointed captain at the City Ground and played 159 times, with 5 goals.

But in February 1970, he was sold to arch-rivals Derby County and was the first player bought by Brian Clough, who paid £100,000.

Originally bought by Clough as a replacement for Dave Mackey in defence, Hennessey played the first season at the Baseball Ground in midfield.

He had an injury-prone spell with the Rams. He did however play 79 matches for Derby, including being an important part of the 1971/72 championship-winning side, before injuries prompted him to retire from professional football in 1972 after over 400 games and 39 internationals for Wales.

In April 1972 Hennessey took over as manager of Southern League Division One North club Tamworth.

He had been interviewed for the vacant managerial position at Fourth Division Mansfield Town but heard nothing and accepted the Lambs` offer.

He took over from Gordon Dougall, who was caretaker manager following the resignation of Harold Cox.

Hennessey made wholesale changes to the team but had only moderate success, although he did turn down a move to a Third Division side as his new club entered their ‘worst ever` financial crisis and gates fell.

Hennessey quit in November 1974.

In 1978 he moved to the USA and managed Tulsa Roughnecks.

A move back to Britain the same year saw Hennessey take the job of manager of then-Leicestershire Senior League side Shepshed Charterhouse, where he stayed until 1980, winning successive titles.

He then moved back across the Atlantic to the USA and again took up another job with Tulsa Roughnecks, this time assistant coach in November of 1980.

He progressed to chief coach in 1981 until leaving for Vancouver Whitecaps in 1983.

In 1986 he emigrated to Australia and managed Melbourne Croatia but in 1987 he took his final job in football as manager of German side Heidelberg for a year before returning `down under` in 1988.

TOMMY BICKERSTAFF was a highly rated young goalkeeper, representing Glasgow Schools and Scottish Juniors and was also on Celtic`s books as a junior.

But it was with St Mirren that he made his senior debut in 1952.

In 1954 he moved to Third Lanark in the Scottish First Division before moving `south of the border` to Crystal Palace.

However, he failed to make a first team appearance for Palace and went on to serve Tonbridge in the Southern League Premier and First Division.

He went on to make 259 appearances for Tonbridge until 1964 when he moved across Kent to join Southern First Division Ramsgate.

He was a regular for Ramsgate until November 1965, when during a game against Ashford Town he injured his back so severely that he was forced to quit as a player.

For the next 18 months, he worked at Ramsgate as their club secretary but wanted to become a manager.

His chance came at Stevenage Town in 1967, joining a team that had made the huge step from the amateur ranks of the Delphian League to the Southern League in 1963.

At the time Bickerstaff took over at Broadhall Way they had just gained promotion to the Southern League Premier Division.

He steadied a club that was in financial strife and in the end the debt of £36,000 forced them to go into liquidation at the end of the 1967/68 season.

Bickerstaff, who had not long moved his family up from Kent to the town, was very bitter about the situation and vowed that he was finished with football.

However, in May 1968 he accepted the managerial post at Cambridge City, who had just been relegated to the Southern First Division, and he brought with him several players who had been with him at Stevenage, including former Spurs and England inside forward Johnny Brooks, who was now 36, and Mal Keenan, who went on to become a stalwart of the club for many years.

City finished ninth in Bickerstaff`s first season in charge, but the following season was an entertaining one for supporters as they were pipped to the title by a single point by Bedford Town, having scored 104 goals in 42 games.

The championship was virtually decided when the Eagles won 2-1 at Milton Road in April in front of a crowd of 4,586.

City`s first season back in the Premier Division saw them finish runners-up to Yeovil Town, who ended up two points better off than the Lilywhites.

That was to prove to be the last time City challenged under Bickerstaff, with mid-table finishes being the norm.

However, he did attract some quality players to Milton Road during that time, including former Spurs and Wales legend Cliff Jones, ex-Peterborough United and Republic of Ireland midfielder Ollie Conmy and one-time Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town and England full back Mick McNeil.

In relative terms, seasons 1971/72, 72/73 and 73/74 were less successful with City finishing mid-table as the crowds gradually dwindled away, and
Bickerstaff was sacked by Cambridge City in April 1974 having been in charge for over 350 games in all competitions, making him the fourth longest serving manager in the history of the club.

DAVE BURNSIDE was a very good attacking midfielder who was perhaps unfortunate not to have earned full international recognition, although he won two England under-23 caps.

Bristol-born Burnside started his career with the red half of his home city before joining West Bromwich Albion in February 1957.

He spent six seasons at the Hawthorns - where he became famous for his ball juggling skills during half-time intervals - then moved to Southampton in 1962 after 127 appearances and 39 goals for the Baggies.

He played 61 times for the Saints with 22 goals before going on to have spells with Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle followed before a brief return to Ashton Gate then Colchester United during the 1971/72 season.

The then-32-year-old was appointed player-manager of Southern League Division One South club Bath City in May 1972 - the club's fourth manager in just nine months.

His main achievement at Bath was changing their shirts to blue and white stripes as he was sacked in January 1973.

There followed spells at various clubs including coaching at Walsall and being player-coach with Southern League First Division side Minehead and Western League outfits Bridgwater Town and Taunton Town.

He began working for the FA in 1979 and four years later became England Youth coach - a position he held until 1997.

He then returned to where he began at Ashton Gate his career as director of youth football.

He was also caretaker manager during the second half of the 1999/00 season and more recently with Cheltenham Town as football co-ordinator.

LEN RICHLEY was a wing half who was originally on the books at Crystal Palace during the Second World War before signing for Southern League club Tonbridge when the war ended.

Gateshead-born, he returned nearer home after being demobbed by signing for Third Division (North) side Hartlepool United in 1951.

He went on to play 72 times for Pools before being appointed as player-manager of then-Eastern Counties League side Holbeach United in 1955.

He spent four years in charge of the Tigers before stepping up to become manager of King`s Lynn in 1959.

The Linnets had recently been promoted from the Midland League and Richley first suffered relegation in 1962 before guiding them back up again as runners-up to Folkestone Town in 63/64.

He left Lynn in September 1965 and joined Rochdale as Bob Stokoe`s assistant.

When Stokoe shocked Dale, who were top of the Third Division at the time, by quitting to join Carlisle United, Richley stayed and was appointed as his successor.

Richley`s tenure at the helm was very successful, as he steered Rochdale to their first ever promotion.

However, things soon turned sour and in February 1970, Richley was sacked.

In August 1970, he was appointed as manager of Darlington until the summer of 1971.

LEN ASHURST managed in the Southern League relatively briefly with two clubs, but he had a long and relatively successful managerial and coaching career.

His playing career started rather strangely in that he signed for Liverpool as a youngster and won England Youth international caps whilst at Anfield.

However, he wasn`t offered a professional deal by the Reds and he left to join Wolverhampton Wanderers on amateur forms whilst completing his apprenticeship as a compositor in the printing trade.

But Sunderland wanted to sign him in 1957 and in order to leave Wolves, he had to sign for then-Lancashire Combination side Prescot Cables before moving to Roker Park.

It was certainly a successful move as he went on to become a real stalwart at full back for the Black Cats, making 458 appearances, becoming one of the all-time highest in the club`s history.

He was rewarded with a testimonial against Newcastle United in 1970 and given a free transfer to allow him to join Hartlepool as player-coach.

Ashurst, who earned England under-23 honours whilst at Sunderland, went on to manage in the Football League at Gillingham and Sheffield Wednesday where he built the foundations for future success.

Ashurst developed a reputation for developing young players and in his next role at Newport County, he led a side from near the bottom of the Fourth Division to promotion.

By winning the Welsh Cup, Newport achieved European qualification and went on to reach the semi-final of the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Cardiff City and then Sunderland followed for Ashurst and he successfully guided Cardiff to promotion back to the Second Division.

With Sunderland he led his former club to a League Cup Final at Wembley.

After 15 years in management he then managed and coached abroad in Kuwait, Qatar and Malaysia before returning to Cardiff as manager and Blackpool as assistant manager.

In December 1992, Ashurst took over a struggling Weymouth side and he was unable to turn the tide as the Terras were relegated from the Southern League Premier Division and he left in April 1993.

In 1996 Ashurst took charge of Southern Division One South outfit Weston-super-Mare and led the side to fourth place in his first season.

This success was affected in the following season due to enforced budget cut.

The sale of Danny O’Hagan to Dorchester Town and Stuart Jones to Sheffield Wednesday for a club record fee of £20,000, left the need for team rebuilding and saw the club finish in a disappointing 19th place.

The start of the 1998/99 saw the promotion of John Relish to replace Ashurst – Relish having been his assistant at both Newport and Weston.

Later, Ashurst joined the Premier League Academy structure in 1995 which was established by LMA chairman, Howard Wilkinson.

HARRY WARREN was a huge man in build.

He had a modest playing career with Folkestone in the 1920s and 30s and took over as player-manager of the Kent club in the Southern League Central Section, where he led them to the championship on goal average in 1934/35 and the following season finished runners-up in the Southern League Eastern Section.

During the Second World War, Warren took over as manager of Southern Eastern Section club Chelmsford City.

During the war, Third Division (South) club Southend United moved into Chelmsford's New Writtle Street Stadium and Warren became manager of both teams after former Arsenal star David Jack had been deployed elsewhere to aid the war effort.

He stayed at Chelmsford until the end of the war and at Southend until June 1956 when he opted to join Coventry City as manager, despite being guaranteed a job for life at Roots Hall.

He was dismissed at Highfield Road just over a year later and returned to Southend working in a solicitor`s office.

PETER HARBURN was another to have enjoyed a brief tenure as manager of Chelmsford City.

However, it is doubtful if many managers at any level would be sacked after being unbeaten in 39 of 50 matches in charge!

But that was the lot of Harburn, who originally joined the Clarets as a player in 1961 under Billy Frith and scored 12 goals in 37 appearances.

He acted as trainer under Frith's management, then as caretaker manager after Frith left the club, and was appointed manager in his own right in February 1966.

But After 50 games in charge in the Southern League Premier Division, Chelmsford sacked him.

However, he did win £601 in compensation for wrongful dismissal!

Harburn`s earlier playing career took in 126 games and 61 goals for Brighton, short spells with Everton and Scunthorpe United and three years and 70 games and 23 goals for Workington before signing for Chelmsford.

After being sacked by City, he returned to playing for Stevenage Town and Wisbech Town in the Southern League.