'A real leader' - Hartlepool United favourite backed ahead of Spennymoor Town's Wembley date

Former Hartlepool United player and manager Graeme Lee has been backed to continue impressing at Spennymoor Town as he prepares to lead his side out at Wembley in Sunday’s FA Trophy final.

After taking charge of the Moors midway through the 2023/24 season, Lee guided the Brewery Field club to a ninth placed finish in the National League North as they missed out on a play-off spot by just one point on the final day of the campaign. The story of the current campaign has followed a similar pattern in the league - although their historic FA Trophy run has provided a welcome distraction as Lee’s men have seen off Pools’ National League rivals Boston United, Sutton United and Rochdale to secure a Wembley date with Tommy Widdrington’s Aldershot Town on Sunday.

Two of Lee’s predecessors at Spennymoor have praised the job he has done in his 18 months in charge and former Moors player and manager Jamie Chandler has described the current man in charge as ‘a real leader’.

He told The Mail: “He’s been absolutely brilliant and he’s just a really good guy. I was really fortunate to have shared a dressing room with him at Darlington towards the back end of his player career and he was a real leader as a player. When you say who could go on to coaching and management, Spike was always in that category. He’s got a really good connection with the players and the supporters, I know speaking to the players he goes into a lot of detail in training and on matchday and they are reaping the rewards.

“They were unfortunate to miss out on the play-offs and their form since Christmas has been fantastic. He’s done a really strong job since he’s gone in there and I am sure he will enjoy every moment of the final. He’s a brilliant guy and I would love nothing more than to see him continue the fantastic job he’s done with Spennymoor by winning on Sunday.”

“I think they are the right people to take the club forward”

Spennymoor could have been targeting double success over the coming weeks had they not fallen narrowly short in the late push for a play-off place in non-league’s second tier. Despite a remarkable run of form during the final three months of the season, Lee’s men ended the campaign just one point and two places shy of the play-offs following a final day home win against Oxford City.

However, Lee’s first season in charge at the Brewery Field can only go down as a success after the former Pools man led them to only their second ever visit to Wembley - and the Moors boss has been given a ringing endorsement by Spennymoor Town club legend Jason Ainsley, the man who oversaw their first trip to the home of football in an FA Vase final win against Tonbridge Wells 13 years ago.

The former Pools midfielder and current Moors head of football told Moors TV: “I think we are always a top ten club. The aim every season, he (owner Brad Groves) sits the management down, the players down, he wants good runs in the FA Cup, good runs in the FA Trophy and he wants us in the play-offs. That doesn’t change. I think the future is now, nobody likes coming here, the teams that come here, nobody likes coming to Spennymoor because they know we are a hardworking bunch of lads, who play for the shirt, have a good fanbase and good backing. Nobody likes coming here so we need to maintain that.

“We need to be in and around it a little bit more because we always seem to come up the rails in February and March and that’s been a knock-on effect over the years because we get stronger after Christmas. We need to be in and around there on a regular basis in the top seven but I believe the right people are in the right places. I think Spike (Lee), Clarky (Ian Clark) and Dan (Wilson) are doing a fantastic job and I think they are the right people to take the club forward.”

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