The Managers – Premier Division South

Meet the men in the dug-out.

BEACONSFIELD TOWN

Gary Meakin

Meakin returned to Holloways Park for a third time in the summer of 2017.

He was a decent player with the likes of Doncaster Rovers, Egham Town, Burnham, Wingate & Finchley, Northwood, Hillingdon Borough, North Greenford United, Hendon, Telford United, Walton Casuals, Harrow Borough and Beaconsfield SYCOB before injury put paid to his playing career.

He started his managerial career with Hillingdon and also took charge of Northwood, Burnham and Wingate & Finchley.

In his first spell as manager of SYCOB in 2013 he led the club to a runners-up spot in the Berks & Bucks Cup as well as a highly respectable eighth place in the league.

In a brief second spell he led the club away from the relegation zone before moving onto Egham where he achieved consecutive play-off places.

Installed as the first manager of Beaconsfield Town, he led the Rams to the Division One South & East title in 2017/18 and a highly respectable 12th place in the Premier South in 2018/19 - the club`s highest ever placing.

CHESHAM UNITED

James Duncan & Michael Murray

Duncan and Murray joined Chesham as joint managers in October 2018, having previously been in charge of Potters Bar Town where they guided the Scholars to automatic promotion from the Isthmian Division One North in 2017/18 and then to a successful top 10 start in the Isthmian Premier in 2018/19 before joining Chesham.

Duncan holds a UEFA B licence and has coached in both academy and semi-professional settings.

Before going into management, he had playing career as a midfielder with the likes of Wealdstone, Hillingdon Borough, AFC Hayes, Beaconsfield SYCOB, Uxbridge, Slough Town, Hendon, Northwood and Potters Bar.

Murray joined Potters Bar as a player in 2016/17 from Chalfont St Peter.

The former attacking midfielder also had spells with the likes of Northwood, Hendon, Uxbridge, Hadley, North Greenford United in his previous clubs where he was a prolific goal scorer and set-piece specialist.

DORCHESTER TOWN

Robbie Herrera

One of the newer appointments, Herrera took over as manager in November after Leigh Robinson stepped down.

Herrera (right) joined the Magpies in early January 2020 as coach and head of development.

He had been part of Plymouth Argyle’s academy set-up for the previous two seasons before joining Dorchester.

An accomplished professional footballer during his playing days, the full-back started his career at Queens Park Rangers before signing for Fulham, going on to make over 100 appearances for both the Cottagers and his home-town club Torquay United, followed by spells at a non-League clubs across the south including Merthyr Tydfil, Taunton Town and Bideford.

Following the end of his playing career, Herrera, who holds a UEFA A coaching licence, worked with Torquay’s youth team and then went on to spend two years as the Gulls assistant manager, before being appointed in March 2018 as Plymouth academy’s professional development phase lead coach for players aged 17 to 21.

FARNBOROUGH

Spencer Day

Day arrived at Farnborough in November 2011 having had a successful time in charge of Chertsey Town since July 2007 where he was also the club`s owner.

A somewhat controversial figure, he has nevertheless managed to keep Farnborough going as both owner and manager for over nine years now.

GOSPORT BOROUGH

Shaun Gale

Gale was originally appointed by Gosport in June on a temporary basis following the departure of Lee Molyneaux, who had brought him onto the coaching staff in February 2020.

He was offered the post on a more permanent basis soon afterwards.

Gale`s previous post was as assistant manager to Lee Bradbury at Vanarama National League South side Eastbourne Borough.

Gale joined Sports shortly after the arrival of Bradbury, with the pair having worked together at Havant & Waterlooville.

As a player, Gale was a full back and made over 300 appearances for Barnet, Exeter City and Havant & Waterlooville from 1994 to 2003.

After injury forced his retirement, he was appointed as assistant manager to then-Havant boss David Leworthy in February 2004.

After a brief period in charge of the Hawks, he was again appointed assistant manager when Bradbury was appointed in 2012.

Following Bradbury’s departure from the Hampshire side and subsequent appointment at Priory Lane, Gale left the Hawks after almost 20 years to take up the position of Bradbury’s number two at the Sports.

HARROW BOROUGH

Steve Baker

Baker replaced Dave Anderson as manager of Boro in January 2015.

He had been with Isthmian League South side Chipstead as manager since 2013.

During a distinguished playing career, he carved out a big reputation with Hayes, Yeading, Hendon and Egham Town before becoming player-coach with Chertsey Town.

He had begun his coaching career working for franchise soccer schools in conjunction with Arsenal and Chelsea and continued to develop them as first Team coach at St Albans City.

After two years as manager at Egham, he continued to hone his coaching skills with Beaconsfeld SYCOB and Wingate & Finchley before moving back into management with Walton & Hersham in 2013.

His stay at Stompond Lane was short lived, however, before he moved on to Chipstead.

HARTLEY WINTNEY

Anthony Millerick

Millerick originally joined The Row in 2015/16 as joint manager with Dan Turkington.

In his first four seasons at the club, he helped steer the North Hampshire outfit to two league titles, two promotions taking the club from Step 5 to Step 3 in the non-League pyramid, a Southern League play-off final win, a Hampshire Senior Cup semi-final, and lifting the Aldershot Senior Cup.

Since taking sole charge of the club, perhaps his major achievement to date was in putting together the playing and backroom staff who collectively earned a hugely impressive eighth place finish in the club's first season at Step 3 in the Southern Premier Division South.

HAYES & YEADING UNITED

Paul Hughes

Hughes is another who originally joined the club as a joint manager with Richie Hanlon in November 2016.

Having been unable to stave off relegation in his first season and with Hanlon departing soon after due to personal reasons, Hughes took sole control of the side and led them to the play-offs in 2017/18 where defeat to Cambridge City denied them promotion.

Hughes began his career with his local side Chelsea, and started well, scoring on his debut against Derby County with an impressive solo effort.

Thereafter, however, his career was stalled by injuries, successive managers' squad rotation policies and the signing of other midfielders like Roberto Di Matteo, Gus Poyet and Didier Deschamps.

Chelsea won the 1996/97 FA Cup and he was left out of the squad for the final but played in the quarter-final against Portsmouth.

The following year Chelsea won the European Cup Winners Cup (1997–98) and although he played in the earlier rounds of the competition, he did not make the squad for the final in Stockholm.

Over the next three years he only featured in 24 more games for the club, and had loan spells with Stockport County, Crewe Alexandra and Norwich City.

Hughes then joined Southampton, managed by his old Chelsea boss Glenn Hoddle at the time, in the summer of 2000, but due to a lengthy groin injury and subsequent change of manager, left a year later having never played a game for the Saints.

His next club was Luton Town, where he remained until May 2006, making 88 appearances and scoring 7 goals for the Hatters, helping them gain promotion from League Two and become champions of League One.

After a spell out of the game, in 2012, Hughes was appointed joint manager at Kings Langley alongside Hanlon.

The pair led Kings Langley to back-to-back promotions, finishing second in Spartan South Midlands Division One in 2014, and then winning the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division title in 2015.

Following a third consecutive promotion that saw Kings Langley became champions of the Southern Central Division and took the club to the Southern Premier Division.

HENDON

Lee Allinson

Allinson was appointed as the Greens manager in November 2019 following the departure of Jimmy Gray.

He moved to North London after a successful spell with Biggleswade Town who he left having guided them into the play-off places in the Southern League Premier Division Central.

During his playing career he won the UCL Premier Division and Bedfordshire Senior Cup with Stotfold, Arlesey Town and Biggleswade Town.

He has also got promoted to Conference South with Boreham Wood under his father Ian, the former Arsenal and Colchester winger, and his other honours include winning the Southern Division One Central League with Arlesey and a promotion with Biggleswade.

He also had a spell as assistant manager to his dad at St Albans City.

He has previously worked for Chelsea and Stevenage`s academies but now concentrates on running his own academy, FC LAFA teams.

METROPOLITAN POLICE

Gavin Macpherson

Macpherson took over as manager of the Met in May 2018, replacing the long-serving Jim Cooper.

Macpherson has been with the club well in excess of 20 years as a player, then assistant to Cooper for 15 years, during which time the club experienced considerable success.

He has a commendable background in football, having started out with Nottingham Forest.

He went on to wear the colours of Barnet, Carlisle United, Wealdstone, Woking and, of course, Met Police.

POOLE TOWN

Tom Killick

Killock is one of the league`s longest-serving managers, having taken over the Dolphins helm in May 2004.

He was a lively and popular forward in his playing days and had a particularly outstanding game for Wimborne Town in their 1992 FA Vase Final victory over Guiseley at Wembley.

Born in Wimbledon, Killick`s first club was Poole, for who he appeared in the Southern League at the age of 16.

He then had a couple of years with Swanage Town & Herston before joining fellow Wessex Leaguers Wimborne for the first time in 1988.

He returned to Southern League football with Bashley in 1990 and then re-joined Wimborne in 1991 where he helped the Magpies win the Vase, Wessex League and Dorset Senior Cup as well as being the `Non-League Director`s` player of the year.

He transferred to Dorchester Town in January 1994 for a £6,000 fee.

He arrived back at Poole from Salisbury City where he was assistant manager and steered club to promotion in his first year and established the club as a powerhouse team in the Wessex League, winning the last three titles and promoted to the Southern South & West in 2011/12, won the league outright in 2012/13, winning the Dorset Senior Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2014.

In 2014/15, Killick took side to runners-up in the Premier Division and were Red Insure Cup winners adding the Southern Premier title in 2015/16 and a fifth place in National League South in 2016/2017 prior to the relegation reverse of 2017/18.

SALISBURY

Steve Claridge

The best-known name in the league both for his playing past and his work as a football pundit.

If anyone thought that Salisbury had appointed Claridge as manager as a `publicity stunt` then they were very wrong!

He is a pundit for BBC Sport football, mainly Five Live Sport now on radio, but a lot of his punditry work reduced when he became both manager and a director of Salisbury.

He began his career with then-Southern League Fareham Town in 1983, and after failing to gain a permanent contract at Bournemouth, spent three years at Weymouth – his longest single spell with any club.

From 1988 until1996 he played for a number of Football League teams before moving to Leicester City where he was also player-manager in 2000/01.

After a spell with Millwall, he dropped down to the Southern Premier League to work as player-manager at Weymouth.

After this ended in 2004, he played for ten different clubs in a variety of leagues, never spending more than a season with any one team.

He has played at all levels of English football and has also appeared in at least 1,000 professional or semi-professional matches.

After formally retiring from football in 2007, he moved into media work for the BBC where his experience of the Football League has been used to position him as an expert at that level, though he works across a variety of different football programmes for the broadcaster.

He has since occasionally played semi-professional football for clubs in the south of England, playing one game for Weymouth in 2009 and signing in 2011 for Gosport Borough.

He was appointed as Salisbury boss in April 2015 just after the formation of the `new` club and has since guided the Whites to two promotions.

SWINDON SUPERMARINE

Lee Spalding

Spalding has been with `Marine since the summer of 2012, initially as assistant manager, having spent the previous few seasons at Highworth Town, firstly as a player and then as assistant to Dave Webb.

After playing at a decent level, including time with Football League sides Swindon Town and Wycombe Wanderers, he began working alongside Webb in 2011 when he also took on the coaching role and he’s continued to do so at `Marine.

He left the club for a short spell from February until April 2015 to take time out to obtain his coaching badges and watch his sons play for Bristol City and Swindon Town, respectively.

In mid-January 2018 he became caretaker manager after the departure of Webb.

It was initially until the 2017/18 season but after leading the team to a play-off final victory at Wimborne Town on penalties and promotion to the Southern Premier Division he was rewarded with the managers` role on a permanent basis at the start of the 2018/19 season.

Having established the team in the Premier South Division with a creditable mid-table finish in his first season he finished his eighth season with the team in fourth position and play-off place when the season prematurely ended in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

TAUNTON TOWN

Rob Dray

In late September 2018, Taunton announced a new management structure with Dray as head of football.

Dray had been in interim charge since the departure of Leigh Robinson to Truro City earlier that month.

He joined the club as coach in the summer of 2016 after previously being manager of Bridgwater Town and assistant manager at Bideford AFC.

Dray guided the Peacocks to the runners-up spot in their first season at Southern Premier Division level.

And his side were pushing for promotion from the Premier South and a play-off spot when the coronavirus wrecked the season in March 2020 before it was subsequently abandoned and expunged.

TIVERTON TOWN

Martyn Rogers

Without doubt, one of the most experienced managers currently in non-League football.

And it was only last summer that now 65-year-old decided to share some of the burden of management with his cousin Scott Rogers.

When Marytn Rogers (left) started managing Tiverton in 1991, Scott was still at school.

Eight years later, the then 19-year-old Scott scored the winning goal at Wembley as Tiverton claimed back-to-back FA Vase successes.

Martyn Rogers is known as `Mr Tiverton Town` and quite rightly so.

Originally with Bristol City, the full back then spent five years with Bath City before returning to the full-time ranks with Exeter City in 1979.

He went on to make 131 appearances for the Grecians before joining Conference side Weymouth in 1986.

He played over 150 times for the Terras – many as a team-mate of brother Peter – before signing for Tiverton as player-manager, taking over from John Owen in the summer of 1991.

The following season the club were runners-up in the Western League to an invincible Clevedon Town and reached the FA Vase Final at Wembley on the back of some staggering results against higher opposition.

Forest Green Rovers were hit for six while Barton Rovers and Buckingham Town both went for four in what was by far Tivvy’s best season to date.

The day out at Wembley lost a little of its silver lining as Town were defeated 1-0 by Bridlington Town, but by now everything was in place and the remarkable rise of a club that was in danger of extinction ten years prior was about to be completed.

The Western League championship finally arrived at Ladysmead in 1994 and stayed in Tiverton the following year. By this time Tivvy had made three appearances in the First Round of the FA Cup, playing host to Leyton Orient and having the cheek to take an early lead on the most recent occasion.

But it was the FA Vase that was most coveted, and Rogers carefully assembled a squad with the belief and talent to succeed, and the dream was finally realised when Tow Law Town were defeated by a single Peter Varley goal at Wembley in May 1998.

Not satisfied with just one trip up the 39 steps to lift the cup Tiverton went and did it again the following year, this time getting the better of a highly fancied Bedlington Terriers side thanks to Scott Rogers` late, late strike.

The only thing left was to take on the challenge of the Southern League, and after an impressive initial season Tiverton won promotion to the Premier Division at only the second attempt.

The step up in class did little to temper the Yellows appetite for success and the next two seasons saw them finish respectably in sixth and then fourth, only being denied a shot at the Conference after failing to win any of the last five games of the 2002/03 campaign.

But the latter half of the following season saw Tiverton slump from second to 15th and miss out on a place in the newly structured regional sections of the Conference.

The next five years saw Tivvy back in mid-table, and a particularly frustrating 2006/07 had them fighting at the wrong end of the table for much of the season, often hampered by postponed games, injuries and suspensions. The only high point was winning Southern League Cup with a fine 3-2 aggregate victory over Hemel Hempstead Town, but even that failed to disguise the fact that there needed to be a period of rebuilding if Tiverton are to take the next step up the ladder.

The culmination of half a decade of struggle came in the 2009/10 season when the club finished in the relegation zone.

Tivvy were lucky to escape the drop due to off-field matters concerning other clubs across the non-League system, and in May 2010 Rogers stepped down as manager, bringing to an end a marvellous 19-season managerial tenure.

However, in January 2011, Rogers returned to management when he returned to manage struggling Weymouth and successfully guided the Terras away from the Southern Premier Division relegation zone by just two points, despite having a ten-point deduction.

But he left Weymouth in May 2011 after failing to agree on a budget for the following season.

In August 2012, Rogers joined then-Southern Division One South & West side Taunton Town as assistant-manager after two years out of the game.

And then he returned for his second spell in charge of Tiverton in 2014.

TRURO CITY

Paul Wotton

Wotton was appointed as Truro manager in the summer of 2019.

He was his home-town team Plymouth Argyle`s most successful captain and by the time he left Home Park in 2008, he had broken into the top ten of the club's all-time appearances with a tally of 394 and 54 goals.

He went on to spend three seasons at Southampton and one at Yeovil Town before returning to Argyle where he was appointed player-coach at the end of the 2013/14 season and formally retired from playing the following year.

Renowned for his leadership and powerful shot, he played at both centre half and defensive midfield.

WALTON CASUALS

Anthony Gale

Gale was once named as one of the top ten young managers in non-League football after taking Walton Casuals up in 2017, and then guiding them to survival in the Southern Premier Division South.

The son of former West Ham and Fulham defender Tony Gale, who is Casuals` chairman, he trialled at a couple of professional clubs as a player at a young age, and went on to make over 400 games in senior non-League football, but it as a coach and manager that he has made his name.

Gaining his UEFA Licence with Advance Youth Module 4, he worked for five years at Chelsea, coaching the boys and the ladies’ academy, and then spent a similar period with Millwall, working with players of all ages from under-8s to under-21s and taking a great deal of satisfaction in helping footballers at the grass-roots level to develop into established senior players.

As well as gaining promotion, he led Casuals to their first silverware in 40 years and collected six manager of the month awards during his time there.

But at the end of 2018/19, he sought a new challenge and took over as manager of a struggling Staines Town in June 2019.

His spell with the Swans was, unfortunately a brief one due to off-field issues.

However, the departure of Steve Conroy from Casuals by mutual consent in January 2020 saw Gale eventually return to the helm.

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

Scott Bartlett

Bartlett (right) returned to the Seagulls for his second spell as manager in May 2019, leaving his role as the academy manager at League Two side Forest Green Rovers.

During his playing career, Bartlett started out at Cirencester Town academy as a youngster, before moving on to Salisbury City.

In nine years, he played over 400 times for the Whites, with a title win in the Southern Premier and a playoff win in the Conference South.

Upon his release from the Raymond McEnhill Stadium in March 2009, he signed for Weston, where he captained the side for a short spell and then moved across North Somerset to Bath City in February 2010.

He managed 4 starts as his spell with the Romans was hampered by a shoulder injury.

In the summer of 2010, he joined then-Conference side Forest Green Rovers and made 11 appearances across the 2010/11 season before being forced to hang up his boots in August 2011 due to a knee injury.

Bartlett then moved into coaching with the Forest Green academy, becoming their head of academy and raising the academy level to ‘category three’ before his departure from The New Lawn.

WIMBORNE TOWN

James Stokoe

Another of the managerial `new boys`, Stokoe stepped up to take over the hot seat in June 2020 following the departure of Danny Holmes.

In two spells with the Magpies, Stokoe has made more almost 500 appearances and scored over 100 goals.

He was appointed player/assistant manager last season.

The 35-year-old was previously with Eastleigh, Lymington & New Milton and Farnborough.

He returned to the Magpies in 2013 from Bashley and he was granted a testimonial in 2018.

YATE TOWN

Paul Michael

Like Wimborne`s James Stokoe, Michael was a summer 2020 appointment by the Bluebells.

He stepped down from his managerial role at Southern Division One South side Cinderford Town to take the Yate post after Paul Britton resigned in June 2020 after four years in charge.

A head of PE by profession, Michael played in the Welsh (Cymru) Premier for Haverfordwest County and the Southern League with Clevedon Town.

He took over as player-manager at Risca United where he led the club to back-to-back promotions from the Welsh League`s Division 3 to Division 1 and a highest ever finish before making the move to Cinderford in 2016.

At Cinderford, Michael undertook a team re-build and led the team to the Southern League Cup final and play-off final in 2019, ironically losing to Yate!