Young Danny’s got an impressive CV
Crusaders boss Robinson is on ‘an upward curve’
He is one of the youngest managers in the National League, but also one with an enviable CV.
And Danny Robinson will welcome in the new year by pitting his wits twice in five days against Hawks boss Paul Doswell.
Robinson was just 34 when he was appointed Hungerford Town manager last June, but he had already been in management for 13 years.
They were highly successful ones too.
He started out in Hampshire, managing Winchester City’s reserves before moving to Wessex Leaguers Alresford Town. There, alongside joint-boss Tim Cole, he guided the Magpies to the Hampshire Senior Cup in 2012/13, beating AFC Bournemouth 3-2 in the final.
That was a remarkable achievement - only two Wessex League clubs have ever won the HSC, with Winchester City in 2004/05 the first.
Alresford also won the Wessex League Cup that season, and the following campaign - 2013/14 - retained the trophy as well as also winning the North Hants Senior Cup and the Aldershot Senior Cup.
Striker Warren Bentley, who went on to play for Gosport Borough, was instrumental in those cup wins - netting 33 goals in 2012/13 and 51 the following campaign.
A short period back at Winchester City - this time managing the first team - was followed by joining the management team at Newbury before he was appointed Thatcham boss in the summer of 2015.
In his first season with the Kingfishers, Robinson took the club - 12th the previous season - to runners-up in the Hellenic League Premier, the same level of the pyramid as the Wessex League top flight.
They were fourth the year after before romping to the title in 2017/18, winning 31 of their 38 games and scoring 129 goals.
More memorably, Robinson ended the season as a Wembley winner - Thatcham lifting the FA Vase.
A second promotion in three seasons could well have followed as the pandemic, from a footballing perspective, was to deliver Robinson mixed emotions.
On the negative side, his Thatcham team were top of the Southern League Division 1 South table when 2019/20 was halted in March. A nationwide sporting lockdown could well have cost him another title.
Against that, Hungerford were rock bottom of the National League South, with only eight wins from 33 games, when Covid-19 took the stranglehold on society it still has.
They were nine points adrift of safety, with nine games left.
Had the season continued, the Berkshire club were staring relegation in the face. Quite likely, Robinson
- had he accepted the job - would be managing the Crusaders in the Southern League this term.
‘I would not only want to stay up but to finish as high as physically possible. There is no point in football if you play just to exist. We’ll try and cause as many upsets as possible.’
Those were the words spoken by Robinson ahead of his first season as Hungerford boss. He has been true to his word, overseeing an extraordinary improvement - helped by his assistant, ex-Gosport Borough player Andy Darnton - in a short space of time.
From being bottom of the table last March, Hungerford will run out at Westleigh Park this Saturday in third place. The two sides then meet again in Berkshire next Tuesday.
They have already won as many league games - eight - in 14 attempts in 2020/21 as they won in 33 last season.
With five away wins in seven matches, Hungerford have also picked up more points on their travels than they did in 17 trips in 2019/20. The Crusaders have already caused some upsets - beating Dorking (2-0) and Slough (3-1), two clubs who were in the play-offs last summer. They have won their last two away games - 1-0 at Hemel and 2-0 at Bath City earlier this week.
‘We watched them play Bath a couple of days ago and they were very impressive,’ said Hawks boss Doswell.
‘They’ve got a young, hungry squad there and a good manager in Danny. He won the Vase with Thatcham which is a massive achievement with their budget.
‘Anyone who wins the FA Vase at a club like Thatcham deserves praise.
‘I knew that he did well at Alresford and Winchester, he’s certainly on an upward curve in his career as a manager in the non-league.
‘He’s certainly got our respect.'