ANDY CAN GIVE US EVEN MORR
Pitmen rebuild underway
NEW Hednesford Town joint-owner Hayden Dando has hailed the appointment of Andy Morrell as manager as a ‘coup’ for the club.
One of the priorities for Dando and co-owner Graham Jones upon taking the reins at Keys Park was to make a managerial appointment – and they were only too delighted to snap up former Wrexham and Tamworth boss Morrell, 45.
“His track record speaks for itself and it’s quite a coup for the club,” said Dando, who runs a security company.
“We were really impressed with some of the CVs that came in. There was a really wide spectrum – up-andcoming managers who have achieved at a lower level, managers with experience of our level and Andy, who has been at higher levels.
“It was a thorough process and we shortlisted a few, but Andy stood out.”
It’s the beginning of a new era at the Southern League Premier Central club. Dando and Jones’ takeover had been in the offing for a few months and not even the coronavirus crisis could put them off sealing a deal with previous owner Steve Price.
Whirlwind
“We started watching games in January and Steve was absolutely fantastic in allowing us access to the club while we got the deal together,” he said.
“It’s been a whirlwind few months and then all this coronavirus stuff happened. But we were very committed to taking over the club – when we commit to something, we commit to it.
“It’s such an exciting project, so there wasn’t a moment’s uncertainty about it. We just thought ‘let’s get it done’.”
Dando and Jones are eager to achieve success on and off the pitch with the Pitmen, who have slipped back to NonLeague’s third tier after previous stints in the top two levels.
“We want to get to National League North in the next couple of years, ideally next season, though we can’t guarantee results,” said Dando, who made a point of thanking interim bosses Danny Glover, Dean Glover and Ben Bailey for their ‘brilliant’ efforts in the final few months of the current campaign.
Sustainable
“Medium to long-term, getting to the National League has to be the aim. The club has got a hell of a lot of potential and a fantastic stadium.
“However, we have to put the building blocks in place. We don’t want to go hell for leather, throw huge budgets at it and destroy the club.
“We have to make sure it’s there for generations. We are custodians the club fans.”
Getting the community right behind the club is central to Dando’s objectives.
“We want to build something sustainable, something that’s there for the community,” he said. “At times the club has become detached from the community. If we can get them involved, we can move the club forward.”
Dando also acknowledged that they are taking over at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty in football.
“Our business plan isn’t wholly reliant on ticket sales etc, though of course it’s part of it,” he added. “Some clubs will have that issue and it’s a hard time for a lot of clubs.
“The last thing we want to see is clubs going under. It’s important that everyone pulls together.” and is the