LEE FOLLOWS DAD’S PATH
GRAEME Lee says his close family ties with Spennymoor Town have played a significant role in his decision to take charge of the National League North club.
Lee’s father, Tony, is widely regarded as a north-east managerial legend after enjoying spells with the likes of Bishop Auckland, Gateshead and Billingham Synthonia throughout a career spanning four decades.
Fond memories were also created at Brewery Field in the early 2000s, on the same patch of grass that Lee Jnr will call home following his appointment earlier this week.
Those memories remain close to the heart of the new Moors boss and the lure of following in his father’s footsteps less than a year after his sad passing have increased the emotional investment Lee will offer his new club – even if pressure has already been added to by another family member.
He told The NLP: “I lost my Dad last February and I remember going to games when he was Spennymoor manager.
“I remember the song they used to sing to him, things like that – although I was a bit gutted when I realised the dugouts had been moved to the opposite side of the pitch because it would have been nice to sat where he sat.
“There’s a lovely feeling, people remember what my Dad did and that’s really special for us. My brother put a stat out saying there was no pressure because Dad won his 25 games or went unbeaten for 25 games. It’s nice to have that history behind us with the family, with Dad, and especially after losing him last year.”
The festive period brought significant change across the north-east managerial scene after Spenny, Darlington, Hartlepool United, Blyth Spartans and South Shields all opted for changes in the dugout.
Lee, who showed interest in more than one vacancy that arose in the last ten days, is now solely focused on helping the Moors emerge from what has been a somewhat disappointing first half to the season and push towards the play-off places in an ultra-competitive National League North division.
“The nucleus of the squad and the club itself, they’re both in a great place and I’m really excited by what we what have got and where we can go,” he explained.
“There’s more than enough in that squad to help us climb the league. They are proven in this league, that’s the exciting thing, and the opportunity to try and improve the players was one I couldn’t turn down.
“We are in a position where you are looking over your shoulder but also looking above us to see where we can go. I just have to try and get the best out of that squad and there are six or seven games this month so I will have an idea about what we need to do pretty quickly.
“We can push the play-offs and, as a club, that is where we want to go.”