Shildon AFC is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Clark as First Team Manager.

Ian is a former professional footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League playing for Doncaster Rovers, Hartlepool United and Darlington.  He also played for Scarborough, Stockton, Harrogate Town, Gateshead, Spennymoor United, Norton & Stockton Ancients, Horden Colliery Welfare, Guisborough Town and Thornaby.

Most recently Ian was Assistant Manager at Marske United, helping them gain promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in the 2021/22 Season.

Ian commented on his appointment:  “I am absolutely delighted to be asked to manage Shildon AFC.  This is a fantastic opportunity to first and foremost move Shildon away from the bottom of the league but then to try and create a structure and legacy for the club to move forward.  It was a hard decision to leave Marske as they have been a big part of my life for the last 7 years.  I can’t thank the club enough and I hold the staff there in the highest regard, leaving Carl (who is by far the best Manager and friend I have worked with and learnt so much from) was such a big decision, and if I am half as successful we will be on the right track.  I would like to thank all the players I have worked with past and present for their hard work and dedication as they were a huge part in the success we had.  However, it is a new chapter and one I can’t wait to get started. The ambition for the Shildon AFC is huge and I want everyone from the whole club to pull together and to play their part.  There is a good cohort of players who did very well last season and we need to get them playing back to that level, enjoying their football and ultimately winning games”.

We can also confirm that Chris Hughes will continue as Assistant Manager with Alex White continuing as Player/Coach.  Chay Liddle and Ben Trotter will of course continue to play important roles as senior players for the Club.

David Dent, Shildon AFC Chairman said, “Firstly, I would like to thank Alex, Chay, Chris and Ben for helping the Club over the past few weeks.  It’s massively appreciated.  I’m absolutely delighted to have secured the services of Ian who understands the potential of the Club and wants to play a part over the next few years in realising our ambitions .  From our first conversations I was impressed with his knowledge of players and the Northern Premier League, his coaching acumen, but more importantly his desire to win games of football.  His first target is to get us up the League and then we will jointly develop our plan to take the Club onto another level, both on and off the pitch”

Ian will be introduced to the players and staff before our game on Saturday and will officially take charge of the team on Sunday.

We would like to extend our thanks to Marske United FC for their help in this matter.

Welcome to Shildon AFC Ian.