Mariners bring in recruitment manager Burgess
SOUTH Shields have continued their preparations for their first season as a full-time club with the appointment of Andy Burgess as their new firstteam recruitment manager.
The former Oxford United, Luton Town and England C midfielder has held a similar role with League Two club Mansfield Town, where he shared a dressing room with Mariners player-assistant manager Jon Shaw.
Burgess will now take up his new position with immediate effect and is relishing the prospect of working for the Mariners at an “exciting time” in their history.
He said: “I’ve seen the progress of the club over recent years, and it has been fantastic to see its profile rise in that time.
“The expectations around the club are big and I feel I’ve joined at a really exciting time.
“My role is to support the management team as much as possible and work with them to identify players who are a good fit for us and are ready to join the club and improve the squad.
“I’ve got a really good understanding of the type of player they’re looking for and the kind of squad they’re trying to build.
“The lines of communication have to be strong, and I’m delighted with how things have started.”
Burgess was involved in the recent signing of former Leicester City youngster Conor Tee after recommending him as a possible addition to Graham Fenton’s squad.
The Mariners boss praised their latest off-field addition and insisted Burgess can put the club in “a very strong position” based on his recommendation of the young forward.
“Jon Shaw introduced me to him and spoke very highly of him from their time together at Mansfield, where he also gained good experience in recruitment,” Fenton said of the former Sheffield Wednesday, Preston and Leeds women’s boss.
“I was immediately impressed with Andy and we’re looking forward to developing a really strong working relationship over the coming years.
“He made an immediate impact by bringing Conor Tee to our attention and if he can keep producing players of that quality for us, we’re going to be in a very strong position.”