THERE’S NO FESTIVE FUN FOR BOSSES

BOXING Day tends to provide the start of a slowingdown period following the Christmas Day festivities.

But for Non-League managers in the northeast it became something of a rather unseasonal-like cull with sackings and departures taking place at all but one of the region’s six clubs in the National League North.

Josh Gowling never really felt like a good fit at Darlington and his short reign was brought to an end just hours after their Boxing Day defeat against Scarborough Athletic left the Quakers facing an uphill battle to preserve their step two status.

Less than 24 hours later, following a home defeat against Blyth Spartans, Julio Arca’s similarly short spell in charge of South Shields came to an end. Spartans, fresh from that win against their North East rivals, parted company with Graham Fenton a day later.

Jon Shaw stepped into the lead role at Croft Park ahead of what would be a successful debut against his former club South Shields – and that came on the same day Lewis Dickman’s interim spell in charge at Spennymoor Town came to an end and John Askey departed Hartlepool United.

You could have forgiven Gateshead interim manager Rob Elliot for switching off his phone and hiding in a dark room such was the chaos enveloping the region’s highest-ranked NonLeague clubs.

Replacements, some interim, some permanent, have been found. Steve Watson and Terry Mitchell are tasked with firing Darlington’s survival bid and Graeme Lee follows in the footsteps of his father Tony by taking charge at Spennymoor.

Each club, each chairman, each key decision-maker have had their own reasons for playing their part in what will go down as a remarkable period in the north east.

Some, perhaps, are making amends for questionable decisions. Some are a matter of circumstance. Yet all have added to the Non-League managerial Christmas cull that few saw coming.