They Have Managed in the Southern League (5)

Former managers in the Southern Football League.

Gary Hackett

Gary Hackett stepped down as manager of Southern League Premier Division Central club Stourbridge in May 2019 after a staggering 16 years at the helm.

Born in the town, he began his playing career as a midfielder with Lye Town before moving to Bromsgrove Rovers.

He was spotted by Shrewsbury Town and joined the Shropshire outfit in 1983.

After clocking up over 170 appearances in four years with the Shrews, he moved `north of the border` to Aberdeen, for whom he played 15 times in the top level of Scottish football.

In 1987 he returned south and joined Stoke City, where he added 73 games and 7 goals to his tally.

Moves to West Bromwich Albion, Peterborough United and Chester City followed, taking his total of senior appearances to around 350.

He returned to the Midlands and spent two seasons with Halesowen Town in the Southern Premier Division before moving to Stourbridge as player-coach for the 1997/98 season.

A year later, he moved to take a similar role at Midland Alliance outfit Stourport Swifts.

In the Autumn of 200, he returned to Halesowen to assist the then-manager Alan Moore, followed by a short stint back at Bromsgrove and then Redditch United.

He returned again to Bromsgrove to take over as manager along with Jon Ford in December 2001.

Finishing runners-up in the Midland Alliance was good enough for Rovers to win promotion back to the Southern League Western Division where, despite a third-placed finish, the duo were replaced.

Hackett, along with Ford initially, became manager of the Glassboys in May 2003 before taking sole charge following Ford`s decision to stand down.

And in an unprecedented period of success, he guided the club to two promotions, five runs to the Proper stages of the FA Cup, including victories over Plymouth Argyle and Northampton Town, three wins of the Worcestershire Senior Cup and the lifting of the Birmingham Senior Cup for the first time in 50 years in 2018.

Jason Braidwood

Braidwood had a good deal of experience both as a player and manager.

As a player, he had spells with Swindon Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Basingstoke Town and Andover.

He signed for then-Wessex League side Thatcham Town as a player in 1996 but his playing career was cut short due to a knee injury.

His management started at Thatcham in the youth team before being handed the senior post in 2004, going onto take the first team into the Southern League as Wessex League runners-up in 2005/06 before surprising everyone by resigning in January 2007.

When Braidwood left Thatcham, he went to Hellenic Leaguers Kintbury Rangers and spent two seasons there before moving to Newbury for the second half of the 2009/10 season.

He moved with Andy Leader over to then-Southern Division One South & West side Andover shortly afterwards and then left to help with the management and coaching of Hungerford Town`s reserve team in February 2010.

In October 2010, Braidwood returned to the Kingfishers, this time as assistant manager to Gary Ackling.

He left Thatcham again, along with Ackling, in April 2012.

Rob Cousins

A successful midfielder both in the Conference and Southern League, Cousins started his career with local club, Bristol City.

He moved to nearby Bath City in 1989 and spent eight years at Twerton Park, making a reputation for himself as one of the most consistent performers in the Conference.

A substantial double transfer in July 1996 took Cousins along with Jerry Gill to Yeovil Town where they both became fan favourites.

Cousins represented the FA XI and helped the Glovers to win the Isthmian League title and promotion to the Conference.

He left Yeovil in the summer of 2000 to join Forest Green Rovers and helped as they established themselves at the top of the non-League Pyramid.

In June 2002 he signed for Southern Premier Division side Tiverton Town and stayed at Ladysmead until the summer of 2005 when he switched to Mangotsfield United.

In October 2006, he left the Mangos for Southern Division One South West rivals Paulton Rovers and he spent three seasons there before joining rivals Yate Town in July 2010, initially as player-coach.

In February 2011 he was appointed as the Bluebells manager and finally called it a day as a player, aged 40 and after making over 1,000 senior appearances.

In February 2015, Cousins was sacked by Yate, along with his assistant Michael Meaker.

Steve Cuss

Steve Cuss was appointed manager of Southern League Division One South West club Wimborne Town in May 2011.

He hails from Torquay and played non-League football in Devon before turning his attention to coaching.

He enjoyed three very successful years as assistant manager and first team coach ay Poole Town before joining neighbours Wimborne.

He led the Magpies to twelfth spot in the table in season 2012/13 and established the club in the Southern League and led them to the First Round Proper of the FA Trophy in 2014/15.

In November 2015, Cuss resigned as manager after four-and-a-half-years in charge but remained on the club’s Board of Directors.

Cuss was handed a big stake in the club by former chairman Paul Miller.

He owned 29.9 per cent in Parmiter Holdings, the parent company which owns 75 per cent of Wimborne, after replacing Miller as a director.

Since 2002, Cuss has been the head of community at AFC Bournemouth and took on the role as manager of the women’s team for the first time ahead of the 2019/20 season.

Cuss previously worked within the Cherries academy and youth teams and during his first campaign as manager of the women’s team, he helped the side to top spot of the Southern Region Women’s Premier League before the season was forced to stop due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Paul West

The Birmingham-born defender started his career at Midland Combination side Alcester Town.

His potential was soon spotted, and he was snapped up by Port Vale as a professional in 1991.

He moved on to Bradford City a year later, but it wasn’t until he joined Wigan Athletic during the 1993/94 season that he finally made his Football League debut.

He played 3 times for the Latics but was hampered by injury and moved to then-Conference side Morecambe at the start of the 1996/97 season.

He went on to play 51 times for the Shrimps before leaving to return to the West Midlands in 1997.

He signed for Southern Midland Division side Evesham United and went on to make almost 400 appearances for the Robins.

He was appointed as David Busst`s assistant in 2005 and when the former Coventry City defender resigned as manager, West took over, initially as caretaker and then on a more permanent basis in March 2006.

West led Evesham back into the Southern Premier Division in 2008/09 but tendered his resignation in November 2011, citing that he felt he had taken the club as far as he could.

After taking a step back from football for almost a year, West successfully completed his UEFA B Pro license and returned briefly to management to help Jed McCrory and assisted Edwin Stein at Southern Premier Division side Banbury United in September 2012 for one game only.

West was offered the role of director of football at Evesham United. However, with joint-managers Matt Clarke and Rob Elms departing due to poor results there was a fear of Evesham suffering back-to-back relegations and West agreed to return as manager on a short-term basis.

He helped steer the club back to the safety of 14th place by the end of the 2012/13 season and although being offered the manager's job on a permanent basis, declined but did, however, take up the offer to join the Board and return to his original role of director of football.

However, after only one month in the position, West resigned, citing differences with the chairman and Board.

He also got more involved in a football consultancy company that he originally helped set up in 2004 with the late Dean Richards, the former Wolves and Spurs defender.

The company specialises in assisting young professional and semi-professional football players with various and wide-ranging issues such as legal and expertise in various areas.

Stuart Peace

Stuart Peace, the man who led Didcot Town to FA Vase glory in 2005, resigned as manager in January 2011.

Peace, the most successful boss in the club`s history, had to be persuaded to stay on the previous summer after threatening to quit.

He took over the role in August 2004 and in his first season in charge masterminded Didcot’s lifting of the FA Vase at Tottenham`s White Hart Lane in May 2005.

But that was only the start of the silverware won under Peace’s leadership.

The club secured the Hellenic League title for the first time since 1953 the following season, as well as completing a hat-trick of Hellenic League Cup triumphs and winning the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy.

The resulting promotion to the Southern League in 2006 was another first for the Railwaymen, and within two years another step-up via a dramatic play-off win against AFC Totton propelled them into the Premier Division - the highest level they have ever achieved.

Peace managed to maintain the club’s Premier Division status, but a poor start to the 2010/11 campaign proved one step too far.

In June 2011, Peace was appointed as assistant manager to Mike Ford at then-Southern Premier Division side Oxford City.

He spent three years with City - a spell which saw them gain promotion to the Conference North, and then followed Ford to Southern Premier outfit Banbury United in the summer of 2015.

Ted Pearce

In the summer of 1993, following Farnborough Town`s relegation from the Conference back to the Southern League, the much-respected Ted Pearce retired after 23 years in charge of the Hampshire club.

It was truly the end of the era at Cherrywood Road as Pearce had taken charge of over 1,200 competitive matches in that time.

Indeed, Pearce had been in charge of Boro for all but two seasons of the club`s existence and played a key part in their amazing rise from the Surrey Senior League to the top level of non-League football.

During his playing days, Pearce appeared in Woking`s Isthmian League side in the mid-1960s and also played for Thorneycroft in the Hampshire League.

He took over as player-manager at Farnborough in 1970 but after just half a season, decided to hang up his boots to concentrate on management.

He went on to guide the club to eight league championships and numerous cup triumphs.

Relegation from the Conference on 1989/90 – a rare blip in Pearce`s remarkable CV – saw the club placed in the Southern League Premier Division for the first time and they stormed to the title at the first attempt, edging out Gloucester City by two points.

The second time Boro suffered the drop from the Conference in 1992/93, however, proved the final act for Ted Pearce and, after seven years as his number two, Alan Taylor stepped up to take on the challenge of guiding Farnborough back to the top level of the non-League game – which he succeeded.

Graham Daniels

Graham Daniels is best known as being the General Director of Christians in Sport.

He is also on the Board of Directors at League Two Cambridge United, having stepped down as director of football in March 2020.

However, it was with the `other` club in the city that Daniels was in the hot seat!

He started his playing career with Cardiff City part-time whilst attending Cardiff University.

He moved to Cambridge United in 1982 but switched across the city to join Southern League South Division neighbours Cambridge City in 1985 and scored 20 goals to help the club win promotion to the Premier Division at the end of that season.

In 1991, Daniels moved to Southern League Southern Division outfit Sudbury Town as assistant to former Arsenal midfielder Richie Powling whilst completing theological training at the University of London.

But in 1995 he took over as manager of then-Eastern Counties League side Histon and helped turn the Stutes into one of the most respected sides in the league before taking over as manager of Cambridge City in November 1996.

In January 1999, Daniels dealt City a hammer blow by resigning 24 hours before the club's New Year's Day fixture at second-in-the-table Boston United.

From 2000 until 2012, Daniels was involved with the Cambridgeshire FA, firstly in coaching a number of its youth representative squads and then through involvement with local teams Hardwick FC and Cambridge University Press.

He returned to Cambridge United in May 2013 as a director and in September 2013 became a member of the Cambridgeshire FA Council.

He was appointed director of football at Cambridge United in February 2018.

Ernie Bradwell

Ernie Bradwell was born in Portsmouth and was a midfielder.

He started out with Portsmouth League side St Luke’s & Hillside and in 1965, along with Freddie Phillips, signed for Waterlooville, then in the Hampshire League.

Bradwell played in Ville`s FA Cup First Round tie with Kettering Town in 1968 which attracted a record crowd of 2,500.

After gaining promotion to the Southern League Division One South in 1971, Waterlooville turned `professional` and were taken under the wing of Portsmouth FC, for whom they acted as a nursery club.

Part-way through the 1983/84 season, Bradwell replaced former Portsmouth goalkeeper John Milkins as manager of Southern League Southern Division club Waterlooville.

During his reign as manager, Ville won the Hampshire Senior Cup, the Russell-Cotes Cup and the Southern League Cup and gained promotion to the Southern Premier Division.

In 1993 Waterlooville sacked Bradwell and replaced him with former Crystal Palace duo Billy Gilbert and Vince Hilaire.

Managing Ernie Bradwell in those first Southern League days for Waterlooville was Pat Wright.

Wright joined Ville as player-manager in 1971, combining the role with being a coach at Portsmouth.

Born in Oldbury in the West Midlands, he began his career with Birmingham City but managed only 3 first team appearances for the Blues in the First Division.

In the summer of 1962, he moved to then-Third Division Shrewsbury Town and went on to make over 200 appearances before being signed by Brian Clough for Derby County.

He finished his full-time playing career with Rotherham United, where he was later made player-coach before accepting the offer to join Pompey, initially as reserve team manager and then first team coach.

He spent five years with Portsmouth and two years with Waterlooville before moving to the Middle East.

A successful time in Asia saw him be Saudi Arabia`s national manager for years, their under-19 manager, assistant manager for the United Arab Emirates for two years, Dubai side Al Nasr FC`s coach for 18 months, the Malaysian State team consultant and then a similar role for Armco Youth Development back in Saudi.

He took on another consultant`s role with the Faroe Islands before returning `home` to the Midlands where he spent four years in the Birmingham City school of excellence and then was director of football for three years with North Birmingham College

In the 1980s, Pat has run his own coaching company and has gone on to develop hundreds of young players - and still does at the age of 80!