IT’S quite telling that Danny Cowley mentioned his and brother Nicky’s Non-League roots in the opening press conference as Huddersfield Town manager.
From the Essex Senior League to the Championship in a little over a decade is some rise – and they will never forget where they came from.
The Cowley brothers have now been at every level of English football from tier two down to Non-League’s Step 5. They even picked up back-to-back Manager of the Year honours at our annual National Game Awards!
Their recent success at Lincoln City, who they took to the National League title and then League Two winners, has seen them linked to a number of jobs higher up the ladder. For Imps fans, news of their departure would have been something they’d have known was eventually coming but would have done little to dampen the pain of seeing them leave Sincil Bank for pastures new last Monday.
Of course, it all began at Concord Rangers with Danny as joint-manager to Danny Scopes – the man back in the Beachboys’ hot-seat this season – and Nicky as a player.
Since then they’ve gone on to form a formidable partnership, taking Concord to National League South football before a third-place finish with Braintree Town in Non-League’s top tier and a subsequent move into the full-time management with Lincoln.
Concord chairman Ant Smith told The NLP what stood them apart all those years ago and how a relentless quest to be as good as they possibly can has been the cornerstone of their success, which is why he thinks they’ll go right to the very top.
“Danny would only ask for that extra one percent to make things better for the players or the club,” said Smith. “He wasn’t asking for thousands of pounds, just little bits, and pieces that would make a big difference.
“On a Thursday night after training, we’d have ‘Pizza Night’. I’d order them in, a few of the committee would go down there and we’d have a laugh and it just helped that comradery and the bonding between us all. Little things like that.
“Their desire to win games and their attention to detail was just incredible. For anybody in Non-League to watch what they’ve done gives everyone hope. I truly believe they will manage England one day.”
It would be a remarkable story should they go on to lead the Three Lions but for now we wish them all the best in their new challenge and know they continue to be great ambassadors for Non-League football.
Like Chris Wilder in the Premier League at Sheffield United, it is a boost to Non-League gaffers with big aspirations to see these examples. It shows there are sharp managerial minds outside of the Football League.
Let’s hope more get a shot because of them.