Category Archives: Vanarama National League

Vanarama National League column – Tranmere Rovers

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THE VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE COLUMN – TRANMERE ROVERS

By Glenn Moore, former football editor, The Independent

The novelty has worn off. It was interesting visiting all those new grounds for a while, and being the Vanarama National League’s big fish, but now all Tranmere Rovers fans want is to get back into the Football League.

The generation brought up on John King’s golden era, when the Wirral club were Wembley regulars and thrice on the brink of the Premier League, have found the adjustment to non-League status especially hard.  Older supporters, remembering the dark days of the early-mid 1980s, are more sanguine, but equally dismayed by results such as the 5-2 New Year’s Day defeat at Fylde.

That loss – to a club making swift progress under former Rovers veteran Dave Challinor – ended a run of five successive victories which had sent Tranmere hurtling up the congested Vanarama National League table. Despite a shocking start – perhaps a hangover from last season’s play-off final defeat to Forest Green – automatic promotion was suddenly back on the agenda. It still is. Though leaders Macclesfield are six points clear at the top they have not escaped the pack as did Rovers and Lincoln last season, and Cheltenham and Forest Green the year before.

Tranmere, though 11 points adrift, are already in the play-off places. With a game in hand another good run could put them in with a chance of overhauling the leaders when Macclesfield visit Prenton Park next month.

It will require courage and composure. Manager Micky Mellon – who took Fleetwood out of the Vanarama National League – has spoken of the character required to play for a club whose former status and current ground often inspires opponents. “It is easier to play against Tranmere than it is to play for Tranmere,” he claimed recently. Mellon, who has also won promotion with Shrewsbury, explained. “It is easy to get up for playing against Tranmere. We’ve got to be at it every week because everyone raises their game against us.”

While goalkeeper Scott Davies will be missed after suffering a groin injury at Fylde, Mellon has Steve McNulty to lead the way in central defence. The cult hero, a National League promotion winner with Fleetwood and Luton Town, is the defensive equivalent of Ade Akinfenwa. He may not look an athlete, but more than makes up in presence, experience and technique what he lacks in mobility.

It should help that with Leyton Orient’s demotion, Tranmere are no longer the new ‘fallen giant’. Now in their third season in the Vanarama National League there is a degree of familiarity and knowledge. Off the pitch, under former FA chief executive Mark Palios and his wife Nicola, the club is on a firm footing. Gates have held up with the 5,000-plus average higher than all but six teams in League Two. The platform is there to prosper if they return to the Football League.  First, however, Mellon and his team have to achieve the most difficult part, and produce the results to get them there.

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/
For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League column Dec 20 – Gateshead

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The Vanarama National League column – Gateshead by Glenn Moore.

 

Gateshead International Stadium will stage a very local affair on Boxing Day, and enjoy an unusually vibrant atmosphere. The ‘Heed’ host Hartlepool in a rare Vanarama National League north-east derby with every expectation of a substantial four-figure gate.

It will be a significant match for Steve Watson, the former Newcastle United player who was lured back to his native north-east in October to take on his first managerial job. Watson, who made more than 350 Premier League appearances, for Everton, Aston Villa and West Brom, besides the Toon, has declared it his mission to take Gateshead into the Football League.

Watson, 43, had been assistant manager at table-topping Macclesfield, but seized the chance to replace Port Vale-bound Neil Aspin and come home. He returned to a region that, while noted as a football ‘hotbed’, has made little impact in the country’s premier non-league competition.

This is only the third season in the National League’s 39-year existence that there have been two clubs from the north-east in the league and there have frequently been none. The Northern League’s reluctance to join the original Alliance Premier League in 1979 meant several of the area’s bigger clubs were left behind as the football pyramid was formed. Blyth Spartans, of FA Cup giant-killing fame, were then dominant in the Northern League, but by the time they switched into the pyramid were playing catch-up and are yet to progress beyond Vanarama National League North.

Gateshead, who were formed in 1977 after the eponymous former Football League club, and its successor club Gateshead United, both folded, have the region’s most regular National League club with 20 campaigns in four stints. They were briefly joined by Darlington from 2010-12, and now by newly-relegated Hartlepool.

The holiday fixtures – the return at Victoria Park is on New Year’s Day – will be a good test of both teams’ progress. Watson has improved Gateshead’s results, but they remain lower-mid-table, eight points off the play-offs. Pool, anxious for an instant return, are one point ahead but have lost four on the spin. They play Saturday, at home to Maidenhead, while Gateshead have the weekend off.

It will also be a measure of the effect Watson’s arrival has had off the pitch. In many respects playing in a smart stadium refurbished as recently as 2011 has its advantages, but unfortunately the International Stadium is both designed for athletics and too big for non-League football.

At 11,800 its capacity is only exceeded by The Shay at Halifax. However, an average gate hovering between 750-850 is matched only by Boreham Wood. With only the two covered stands each side of the ground usually opened for Vanarama National League matches, and an athletics track around the pitch, fans often complain about a lack of atmosphere.

Proposals to build a new ground have been floated but Watson’s short-term solution is to copy the philosophy of his former manager Kevin Keegan. “We have to entertain, to get out on the pitch and play good football, to get positive results,” he said. “Then before you know it, there are more on the gate.”

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/
For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League Column – Dec 13

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Dreams of Wembley – by Luke Coulson, Of Ebbsfleet United and the FWA

It was a cold September morning and my manager pulled me to one side after the training session to talk about our upcoming fixture. The meaning of the conversation was simple; my gaffer wanted to ask if I was ready to play against my former club, Eastleigh FC.

Of course, my answer was yes.

Despite the fact that I have fond memories from my time at the club, I only played for the Spitfires for a single season, hardly a Ryan Giggs length of service. Nonetheless, the question from my manager needed to be asked as facing up against your former team mates for the first time can be a difficult challenge.

That particular Vanarama National League encounter earlier in the season ended in 2 -2 draw, but what I remember most about that game was my disappointing performance and the fact that I clearly didn’t handle the pressure very well. I remember striding out on to the pitch that day to demonstrate my ability, but I walked off that day thinking that my former employers must have returned to Hampshire with the opinion that selling me in January to Barnet was a great decision.

This weekend, however, I have the opportunity to give a better account of myself as we once more welcome Eastleigh FC to Stonebridge Road for the first round of the FA Trophy.

The BuildBase FA Trophy not only gives us a chance to have a break from the Vanarama National League but gives us an opportunity to try and repeat the feat of the Ebbsfleet United squad from 2007/08 that lifted the famous trophy for the first time in the club’s history.

In addition to trying to emulate the past, as a team we also want to continue our excellent recent home form which will lead us into the busy Christmas schedule. After beating Leyton Orient and Hartlepool before enjoying a rare weekend off, last Saturday we won our third home game on the bounce by outclassing Guiseley, which was evident in the 4-0 score line.

In the opening game of the season, Guiseley held us to a 2-2 draw and therefore we knew what to expect from our opponents and knew that if our mindset was right, we would win the game comfortably. The win has lifted us to tenth in the table and has added to our ever growing confidence as we head into the first round of the FA Trophy.

This weekend, not only am I focused on putting on a performance that my former club won’t forget but I want to help the team move one step closer to every young footballer’s dream, playing at Wembley.

Baptism of fire for Leyton Orient and Hartlepool – Vanarama National League column

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Glenn Moore of the FWA, provides his mid-season assessment of the National League’s new boys.

As December bites so reality sinks in for those teams relegated into the Vanarama National League. Hartlepool and Leyton Orient have now played 23 league matches, half the campaign, and there is no avoiding the fact that non-League is proving very tough. 

At the weekend Leyton Orient, under new manager Justin Edinburgh, lost at bottom club Solihull Borough. They are now 20th, one place above the relegation zone. Hartlepool, having conceded twice late on to lose at home to Macclesfield, are 13th; which means Jeff Stelling has to wait for the bottom half of the Vanarama table to flash up on Soccer Saturday to see where his team are.

This difficult baptism should come as no surprise. It is often said that relegation can enable struggling clubs to take stock, reform, and come back stronger, but that rarely applies to dropping out of the Football League. Of the 19 clubs relegated from League Two in the last decade (Torquay went down twice) only two bounced back immediately, Bristol Rovers in 2015 and Cheltenham the following year. More worrying for Hartlepool and Orient is that only seven of the 19 have climbed back into the Football League while five fell further, often due to financial problems. Boston, re-formed Darlington, Stockport County and York City are now in Vanarama National League North. A finally resurgent (and re-formed) Hereford are pushing to join them from the Evo-Stik South Premier.

“This is the biggest club in the Vanarama National League,” said Edinburgh after Saturday’s defeat.  Therein lies one of the problems. Opposition players are inspired by playing a club with such a long Football League pedigree, and by visiting Brisbane Road. “We have to embrace that and not fear it,” added Edinburgh, who said Orient was the “only job I would have taken in the National League [because of] the pull of the size of the club, the history.”

But if history helps attract fans, players and managers it counts for nothing on the pitch. Stockport are averaging 3,209 at the gate this season, the fifth highest attendance outside the Football League, but are mid-table in the Vanarama National League North. They lost at second-place Brackley Town in front of 585 on Saturday. That was one of the Saints’ best gates of the season – swelled by travelling Hatters fans.

In many respects the Vanarama National League is like the Championship: full of clubs with (relatively) storied histories, big followings, decent stadia – but fiercely competitive and no respecter of reputations. Orient are the Sunderland of non-League. Like the Wearsiders the O’s have put their faith in a new manager, one with a solid pedigree, hoping that unlike a succession of recent bosses this is the one who stops the rot. The current season may be gone with regard to promotion but, as with Chris Coleman at Sunderland, if Edinburgh can turn things around the club will develop momentum, and could take some stopping next season. However, as the likes of Wrexham, Tranmere and Stockport know, with hungry upwardly mobile clubs like Sutton United, Bromley and Brackley around there are no guarantees.

Learning from defeat – Vanarama National League column

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Luke Coulson of the FWA, and Ebbsfleet United, gives an insight into post-match analysis.

 

Patrick Vieira’s long legs took him through the Leicester City defence, around the keeper and allowed him to pass the ball into an open net and cement Arsenal’s place in history.

The Frenchman’s winning goal at Highbury meant the Arsenal team of 2003/04 went undefeated throughout the whole Premier League season. Yet, in the game of football, losing is inevitable. Even the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04 lost in domestic cup competitions along the way, suffering defeats in the FA Cup, Football League Cup and Champions League. As a player, you have to accept that there will be times when the team underperforms or the opposition execute the perfect tactical game plan to get the win. However, the important aspect about a loss isn’t the result itself but the reaction that comes afterwards.

The professionalism of Ebbsfleet United means each fixture is recorded and analysed which gives us the opportunity to watch the match from a different perspective. For me, it is an important element in my development as it allows me to understand what areas of my game need improvement, but also what areas of my game are strengths.

After our breakfast on a Monday morning, which usually consists of bagels, boiled eggs, fruit, cereals and a copious amount of coffee, a team meeting gives the squad a chance to discuss the positives and negatives of the previous game. In these meetings, the manager creates an open and positive environment in which he is keen to hear our opinions and encourages us to give constructive criticism to each other.

Nevertheless, despite being able to learn from previous mistakes, defeats will happen. A poor team performance, fatigue from the previous fixture or a misjudged refereeing decision can cost you a game.

Last week, we suffered our first back-to-back league defeats of the season. A gruelling six hour journey to Wrexham resulted in a 2-0 loss and was followed three days later by another away defeat to Woking. However, as the saying goes: ‘you learn more from losing than winning’, which is why we worked even harder on the training pitch to correct our mistakes and on Saturday, Hartlepool felt the full force of our frustration. We dominated the game from start to finish and moved ahead of them in the league after our 3-0 victory.

Reading and listening to comments since the match, it seems that most people agree that Saturday was our best performance of the season so far. However, with the quality of teams in the National League, we have to accept that defeats will happen moving forward. Yet, if we were able to recover and improve like we did this past weekend, we have a great platform to build upon moving into the tough Christmas period and our ambitions will certainly remain in reach.

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League column – Wrexham

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Vanarama National League column – by Glenn Moore

Wales reaching the European Championship semi-finals, Swansea City becoming a Premier League regular, Cardiff City briefly joining them – and threatening to do so again, phoenix club Newport County returning to the Football League. It has been a golden era for the Principality.

Correction. It has been a golden era for South Wales football. In the north there has been less to cheer. The national team’s exploits under Chris Coleman were joyously received, but Wales do not play in the north these days. As for the club game… Wrexham, the oldest club in Wales, are now in their 154th season, but also their tenth successive outside the Football League.

Welsh sport is traditionally associated with rugby but the north is predominantly football territory. This has made Wrexham’s exile all the harder to bear given the better fortunes being enjoyed by southern clubs. Now, however, the Red Dragons are breathing fire again. Tuesday night’s victory over Solihull Moors lifted them to the summit of the Vanarama National League with the season’s mid-point fast approaching.

Wrexham have lost just lost just once in their last 16 Vanarama National League games, a run that includes 1-0 victories at rivals Chester and Tranmere. Those scorelines underline a rise that has been based on a tight defence with only 12 goals conceded in 21 Vanarama National League games. Manager Dean Keates puts a premium on graft. A former Wrexham player he talks of “a working-class town with honest people who want to see their team performing and working hard.”

Relegated in 2008 following a financial crisis that sent them tumbling from League One to National League in four seasons, Wrexham at one stage wondered if they would survive at all. Fan ownership in 2011 stabilised the club and, having survived a winding up order, they reached the promotion play-offs in three successive seasons. However, they only once made the final, in 2013, and lost to Newport.

Having never previously been to Wembley Wrexham went there twice that season, winning the FA Trophy before the play-off loss. The board, all-too well aware of the consequences of financial problems, used the proceeds to clear debt. Sensible in the long-term, but the team suffered, coming 17th the following season, Wrexham’s lowest ever position. The Red Dragons subsequently pottered in mid-table, becoming the Vanarama National League’s longest established members.

Until now, that is. Keates, who is in his first management role, brought in 12 players this summer and few expected them to gel so quickly. There is progress behind the scenes too with the club bidding to site the proposed Museum of Welsh Football at the Racecourse as part of a development to include rebuilding the currently closed Kop end. That would help bring back the national team, which last played in Wrexham in 2008, and further swell an average gate that, at more than 4,300, already exceeds 19 Football League clubs. On and off the pitch everyone is aware there is a long way to go, but the Red Dragons are finally moving in the right direction.

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League Column Nov 15

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Live on TV – the glamour, the pressure and the barbers

by Luke Coulson, Ebbsfleet United

Arriving at the stadium on Saturday afternoon was like any other match day. The car park was nearly full, the stewards greeted me at the turnstiles and the match day kit was perfectly laid out in the changing room. Yet, as I walked upon the freshly, cut grass, the TV cameras that encompassed the pitch meant that this game was no ordinary National League fixture.

Because of the international weekend, Premier League stars took a break from their club duty which allowed our match against Leyton Orient to be shown live on BT Sport.

I’m no psychic but I knew the international weekend and our live fixture would result in two things. Firstly, that there would be millions of disgruntled Premier League fans around the world and secondly, that every player in our dressing room would have an immaculate, fresh hair cut. I wasn’t wrong; the barbers had been busy.

The last time I played live on BT Sport was against Barrow when I was playing for Eastleigh. We travelled a long way, embarrassingly lost 4-0 and I didn’t particularly play that well. Therefore, I was determined to be on the winning team this time round.

Before the match, the only noticeable difference in the changing room was everyone was exceptionally early. Usually, one or two lads may cut it fine but every player was early, raring to go. The changing room was as lively as ever and if anyone was nervous, it was hidden well. Everyone seemed to be confident and focused on their job as we went out to warm up.

The cameras that are usually dotted around the Premier League stadiums brought an obvious excitement to our changing room. It is rare occasion that we get to play live on the big screen and everybody wanted to give a good account of themselves with friends, family and football fans around the country watching. However, with that excitement comes pressure.

Days before the game, I heard the same message and advice from everyone. ‘Treat the match like any other’ and ‘just concentrate on your own game’, but of course it’s not always that simple. It’s difficult to maintain that mindset and ignore the fact that a camera is following your every move. However, that is what the best players learn to do. For players in the National League like myself who want to move up the football ladder, it’s pressure that needs to be welcomed and thrived upon.

Despite our previous result against Doncaster in the FA Cup, our first half performance was very positive. Through the week, we held team meetings to discuss how to improve, and aimed to take those changes into the game against Leyton Orient, which we did. Our defensive shape was strong and our counter-attacking play was quick and powerful as we put ourselves 2-0 up with goals from Andy Drury and Danny Kedwell.

Having been winning 2-0 against Doncaster, we learnt from our mistakes as we maintained our lead and kept a clean sheet up to the half-time whistle. In the second half, we had opportunities to score a third but couldn’t quite make the most of them and despite a late Orient goal, we took all three points in our first televised match of the season.

After drawing to Sutton United and losing to Torquay in our last two National League fixtures, securing three points was our main priority. However, as a football club, we also wanted to make a statement by showcasing our ability and performing under the pressure of the BT cameras. Having watched the game back, we definitely did everything we set out to do and can’t for the cameras to return on New Year’s Day.

For more on the Vanarama National League visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

Find out about Vanarama’s leasing deals for cars and vans here: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League Column

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Glenn Moore looks at Kent’s place in the Vanarama National League 

Kent, the home of hops, apples, and the Channel Tunnel, has never been regarded as a hotbed of football. The Royal Engineers, the first FA Cup runners-up, came from the Chatham Dockyard; Chris Smalling, Tony Cascarino and Jon Harley grew up in the Garden of England; but in sporting terms the white horse county is best known for cricket. Excluding Charlton Athletic, never officially part of Kent since the club’s formation, Gillingham are the county’s only representatives in the Football League. They always have been, aside from three seasons a quarter-century ago when Maidstone United joined them before going bankrupt.

In non-League football, however, it is a different story. Kent has long had a busy non-League scene, perhaps because of the lack of Football League clubs. In 1979 the original Alliance Premier League, the forerunner of today’s Vanamara National League, included Maidstone United and Gravesend & Northfleet, and within two seasons they were joined by Dartford. 

These days the Vanarama National League has a strong Kentish flavour. Dover Athletic, thriving since the return of Chris Kinnear despite a huge turnover of players, are the surprise leaders. A trio of local rivals are in close pursuit. Re-formed Maidstone United are fifth, two places ahead of Bromley (now a London borough, but part of Kent until 1965). Ebbsfleet, as Gravesend & Northfleet are now known, are three points further back. Hoping to join them are Dartford and Welling United, respectively first and third in Vanarama National League South.

What is notable about these clubs is the sense of progress and ambition with most playing at new, or refurbished stadia in front of rising crowds. Dover last year opened a new £1.3m stand at their historic Crabble home. Ebbsfleet’s own £5m stand at Stonebridge Road is nearing conclusion. Bromley, prospering in only their third season at this level, put down a 3G pitch in the summer and a new stand is to be erected next year. 

Dartford, meanwhile, have one of the most ecologically-advanced grounds in the country at 12-year-old Princes’ Park, with features including a sedum roof, floodlights powered by solar panels and water recycling. Welling are the smallest of the sextet, but with Mark Goldberg, once Crystal Palace owner, more recently Bromley manager, chairman, do not lack for ambition.

The most extraordinary tale is that of Maidstone. The Stones had to start again in the Kent County League’s fourth division, step 12 of the pyramid, after going bust in 1992. Playing on their former reserve team pitch they climbed into the Kent League (step 5) by 2001, but then had to ground-share in Sittingbourne and Ashford before returning to the county town, at a new ground, in 2012. At this stage they were in the Isthmian League (South) but inspired by having their own home, one which has become a community hub built around the 3G pitch, they won three further promotions in four seasons. Their 4-2 FA Cup win at League Two Cheltenham on Saturday confirmed the Stones are rolling again, as are their rivals in Kent’s fertile non-League garden. The Gills’ proud boast of being ‘Kent’s only Football League club’ is at risk again.

For more on the Vanarama National League visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

Find out about Vanarama’s leasing deals for cars and vans here: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League column November 1

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Luke Coulson, journalist and footballer for Ebbsfleet United, looks at the precarious life of a manager in the Vanarama National League.

A week ago, Ronald Koeman felt the harsh sting of football management as he became the second managerial casualty of the Premier League season.

Koeman joins Frank De Boer and five other managers from the top four tiers of English football that have felt the axe from their clubs this season. However, the National League is a different level of cut-throat business entirely, with six managers already losing their jobs.

With the promise and reward of League Football, the stakes are high and a slow start in the National League can cost a manager his position. The five clubs currently lying at the bottom of the table have all sacked their managers this season and with the recent announcement of their new manager, Ady Pennock, Barrow are now on to their third manager of the campaign.

After beating East Thurrock in a replay two weeks ago, we will host Doncaster at home in the first round of the FA Cup this weekend. Yet, before we could even begin to think about the League One side, we had to re-focus our minds on the league and the three upcoming fixtures. Of those games, we hosted Barrow and Torquay United, two of the teams that have welcomed new gaffers to the dugouts during the season.

In late August, after only five games of the season, Barrow sacked their manager Paul Cox. Ten games later and four days before we played them, Micky Moore, their second manager of the season departed the football club.

When a manager of a football club is sacked, it can have an adverse effect on the team. The squad may have respected the gaffer and therefore there may be players that are disappointed and unhappy with the changes to the coaching staff. On the other hand, with a new manager to impress and positions up for grabs, the sacking of a manager can have a positive effect on the team. Therefore, as we welcomed Barrow to Stonebridge Road, we were very aware not to underestimate our opposition.

Having experienced similar circumstances, I know what the current Barrow squad have been going through. Chris Todd signed me for Eastleigh in the January of 2016, yet after four games of the following season, he was dismissed from his duties. Chris was the first manager to have ever bought me and subsequently gave me a chance in the National League, so I was personally disappointed to see him leave. Ronnie Moore was brought in to replace him but after three months, we were once more without a manager. In early December, Martin Allen left Barnet to become our third manager of the season but was sacked 14 games later to continue the rollercoaster of managerial changes.

It is difficult to mentally prepare knowing that a new manager is about to take over. You hear constant rumours about who may take the job and it’s an unsettling period for the team. It is a worrying time for each player because a new manager may not like their individual style, or not play a formation that brings out their full potential.

Each manager has his own way of playing, training and managing the team and consequently it can be difficult to become used to a new manager especially if you don’t agree with his philosophy.  In that case you keep your head down, work hard and don’t complain if you want to play.

Before the announcement of Ady Pennock, we were able to claim all three points against Barrow and their interim manager Neil Hornby with a 3-2 victory. However, that win was followed by a defeat three days later against Torquay United. Similarly to Barrow, Torquay United decided to have a change of management early in the season, sacking Kevin Nicholson after four games and replacing him with Gary Owers.

Following the loss against Torquay, we came away with a hard fought and well deserved point at Sutton United. The draw means we now sit 13th in the table, still only three points adrift of the playoffs as we take a break from league duty this weekend to prove ourselves against Doncaster in the first round of the FA Cup. A challenge we are more than ready to overcome.

Vanarama National League Column Oct 25th

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VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE COLUMN – Craig Harrison, by Glenn Moore

Some coaches begin preparing for life on the training pitch while they are still players, making notes about sessions put on by their managers, mentally filing behaviours, and taking their qualifications. Others fall into the job by accident. The strange thing is that sometimes it is the latter who are more successful.

Among them is Craig Harrison, coach of Vanarama National League side Hartlepool United. Harrison had quit football after suffering a career-ending broken leg while playing for Crystal Palace reserves in his mid-20s. He struggled with depression, came through that, but remained disenchanted with the game opting instead for a career in property development.

Then, for his 30th birthday party, wife Danielle booked a band. The guitarist looked familiar. He was Gareth Owen, formerly of Wrexham, whom Harrison had played against when on loan at Preston. Owen was player-manager at Welsh Premier League club Airbus UK and seeking an assistant. He asked if Harrison was interested.

“I said, ‘No, I’m not interested. I’ve moved on from that’,” Harrison, 40 this month, told the Non-League Paper earlier this season. He added: “A couple of weeks later I saw in the local paper they still hadn’t filled the post. My other half persuaded me to give Gareth a text to see what was going on. He said he was still looking so we had a chat and he offered it to me. I took it. That was in December. By the end of the season Gareth had moved on and they gave me the manager’s job.”

By then Harrison was smitten. His biggest problem was persuading part-time players to be as committed as he was. He rapidly acquired his badges and now holds the highest qualification, Uefa Pro Licence. In late 2011 The New Saints, after a rare season failing to win the Welsh League, moved in. With them Harrison won six successive league titles, four Welsh Cups, and played clubs such as Slovan Bratislava and Legia Warsaw in Champions League qualifiers.

Despite this success the chance to join Hartlepool was irresistible for Harrison, Gateshead-born and a former Middlesbrough player. It is not an easy job. Harrison is Pools’ sixth manager in four years, which underlines the instability at the club. Yet though relegated from the Football League last season they still attracted more than 50 applicants for manager.

The opening rounds of the Vanarama National League were a shock. Having lost their opening match at home to Dover Athletic, Hartlepool had two points after six matches. A 13-point haul from the next five games dispelled fears of back-to-back relegation and rekindled hopes of an instant Football League return. They are now in 14th place, only five points behind second-placed Wrexham in a tightly-contested promotion race.

“Looking back with a clear head, what’s probably happened is the four-five weeks at the start of the season has been vital,” Harrison said last week. “When it hasn’t gone for us you either go your separate way and the group fragments or you come together. What went on early season is probably one of the best things to happen for team spirit. It has come together over the opening weeks of the season.”

Harrison, who knows better than most how unpredictable football be, added: “Maybe the start was a blessing in disguise.”

For more on the Vanarama National League visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

For more about Vanarama visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/