Rumoured Hartlepool United managerial candidate takes charge at National League South strugglers
Former Hartlepool United midfielder Tommy Widdrington, who had been linked with a return to Victoria Park, has been appointed manager at National League South strugglers Eastbourne Borough.
There had been speculation that the 54-year-old could be in line to replace Simon Grayson, who was sacked on Sunday, at Pools after he resigned from his position as Aldershot manager earlier this week. However, Widdrington has instead opted to return to Eastbourne Borough having spent five years in charge of the Sports between 2012 and 2017, taking charge of almost 250 matches.
Widdrington, who made more than 50 appearances at Pools and was part of the squad that won promotion to League One in 2003, caused a stir when he resigned from his role at Aldershot following a successful spell in charge in Hampshire. Renowned for his energetic touchline manner, Widdrington took over at The Recreation Ground in April 2023 and steered the Shots clear of National League relegation, ending the season with an impressive run of six games unbeaten. The following campaign, his first full season in charge, Widdrington led the Hampshire side to an eighth placed finish, agonisingly missing out on a place in the play-offs following a poor run in the final few weeks. While the Shots weren't able to build on that success last term, finishing 16th, they were crowned FA Trophy winners in May after thumping Spennymoor 3-0 in the final on the club's first ever visit to Wembley Stadium. Although their Wembley win ranks as one of the greatest moments in Aldershot's history, last season was a challenging one for Widdrington personally after he was forced to take time away from the touchline after suffering two strokes in November 2024. Aldershot have endured a challenging start to the new campaign and Widdrington leaves with the Shots in 19th having won just three of their first 14 matches, conceding 31 goals.
Even so, Widdrington was touted as being one of the leading contenders to replace Grayson, who was sacked last week following a miserable run of one win in 11 games. Remarkably, Pools are on the hunt for their fifth manager in the space of a year and the 14th permanent appointment of chairman and owner Raj Singh's tumultuous tenure, which began when he bought the club in April 2018. Having made a fast start to the new campaign, picking up 10 points from the first 12 available, Pools have slipped down to 12th in the National League table and were dumped out of the FA Cup by Northern Premier League Premier Division side Gainsborough in midweek, while frustrations among the fanbase are beginning to reach boiling point. Former Pools captain Peter Hartley, who made 188 appearances at Victoria Park across two separate spells and is now a first team coach at Scottish Premiership side St Mirren, was linked with the job earlier this week.
Widdrington, however, has opted to remain down south after signing a long-term contract with Eastbourne Borough. After first taking charge in East Sussex in 2012, Widdrington kept the Sports in the Conference South and established them as a competitive outfit in the sixth tier, winning the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup in 2016. He left in April 2017 and worked in various roles at the likes of Coventry and Bristol Rovers before returning to management with National League side King's Lynn Town in 2021.
The Sports finished third in the National League South last term but have endured a nightmarish start to the new campaign under Matt Gray, drawing five and losing five of their opening 10 matches. Nonetheless, there remains a real sense that the East Sussex outfit are heading in the right direction and Widdrington will be hoping he can lead the Sports to the National League after sealing his return to Priory Lane.
"I'm surprised, first and foremost, it happened very quickly," Widdrington told Borough's official club website.
"I made a decision a week ago that I was going to leave my previous job - and my wife got the holiday brochures out, so I was assuming I was going to be somewhere nice and warm and having a relax. I didn't leave the previous place because I needed a break, something fundamental at the club needed changing and it wasn't happening, so I felt I should be the change. That was solely my decision, and I was really pleased and surprised to have a knock on the door not only from Eastbourne Borough, but one or two other things as well. I had a really good two years at Aldershot Town and I loved my time there, but I'm a football bloke, I've been in it for 38 years since I left school, and I didn't want to sit on my couch.
"When I had a chat with both Alan (Williams, chief executive) and Simon (Leslie, chairman), what they've suggested to me is already in progress, and I've seen that when I came down here with Aldershot for a pre-season game. I want to be part of something that's going in the right direction, and they've certainly sold that to me."