Former Hartlepool United captain set for immediate return to coaching following Gateshead resignation
Former Hartlepool United captain Carl Magnay is set to be appointed assistant manager at South Shields following his Gateshead resignation, according to reports.
Magnay, who made 114 appearances for Pools, took over at Gateshead in October following the departure of Rob Elliot, who left to take charge of Crawley. The 36-year-old made a bright start and was named the National League's manager of the month after an unbeaten December; indeed, the Heed closed to within two points of leaders Barnet after beating Pools 4-3 on Boxing Day.
However, things took a turn for the worse in January, with the Heed losing a number of their star players. Frontman Owen Oseni, who scored 12 goals in 24 games, signed for St Mirren, influential midfielder Callum Whelan signed for Carlisle, while defender Josh Williams was recalled from his loan spell by Birmingham before penning a permanent deal with the Cumbrians.
To make matters more complicated, Gateshead were heavily linked with a takeover led by former Sunderland striker Victor Anichebe. At one stage, the takeover seemed mere hours away - and it was later revealed that the prospective new owners had been inside the Heed dressing room and influenced the signing of Yeovil forward Frank Nouble - but, for whatever reason, things hit an unforeseen snag and the club were left in a bizarre sort of limbo as a deal dragged on.
On the pitch, things went from bad to worse; Gateshead lost six successive games in March and won just five of their final 22 matches, slipping out of the play-off places despite looking almost certain to finish in the top seven at the turn of the year. Magnay, who tendered his resignation on Monday, labelled the end of the campaign a "disaster" while skipper Greg Olley, who has since left, said he had "never seen a club meltdown as badly". In an explosive interview, the midfielder asked "can you say we've reinvested that money? I don't think so, I don't know where the money goes." Olley also leapt to Magnay's defence, revealing that "his hands are firmly tied behind his back. He has no help from above, he's got the takeover lingering."
As first revealed by Transfer Insider's Football Correspondent Pete O'Rourke, Magnay is now set to make an instant return to coaching as he prepares to reunite with Steve Watson, who was Mike Williamson's assistant during a successful spell at Gateshead and was appointed manager of National League North side South Shields last week. Watson, who also worked with Williamson at MK Dons and Carlisle, is now set to add Magnay to his coaching staff. South Shields finished 17th last season and have said goodbye to a number of long-serving players already this summer, including former Pools forward Luke James.