400 up for Hebburn Town manager Daniel Moore - but he still wants more!

Football management is a cynical business - so reaching landmarks should be celebrated.

That is why, despite the fact his side are in the midst of what some would consider to be a surprise promotion bid, Hebburn Town manager Daniel Moore has taken time to reflect on racking up 400 games in the dugout before he has reached the age of 42. From his early days at Shildon to his current role with the Hornets, the road has been full of the usual highs and lows that come with management and the experience he has gained at a relatively young age hint at a lengthy career.

But rather than looking forward, Moore is persuaded to look back after recently hitting the 400-game mark ahead of his side’s recent win against Northern Premier League Premier Division rivals Morpeth Town - and he revealed it is the determination to improve and draw from the wealthy bank of experience he possesses as his key driving factors.

He told The Gazette: “You don’t reflect on the journey because there isn’t time to do that during a season. I’ve had some brilliant times, I’ve learnt a lot and you draw something from every game, every training session, every moment. I look back and there is pride, I love it, I’m obsessed with it, I just want to keep improving. I know sometimes there are disappointments but that’s football. Really, I have enjoyed every moment, even the lows because they are just part of it. One thing I knew from learning from other managers is that you can’t get carried away by the highs or the lows, you just have to learn from both - but I think there have been more highs so far and I hope there are more to come.”

Gamble

More of those highs later - but for now, it’s time to go back to the start when Shildon chairman David Dent asked Moore to kick off his career in the dugout with Shildon. Given Moore’s lack of experience in management, it was a risk - but it was one that paid off for chairman and new manager alike as the Railwaymen lifted the Durham Challenge Cup, made progress into the latter qualifying rounds of the FA Cup and secured a first ever promotion into the Northern Premier League.

“I was 32 at the time and it was something I knew I wanted to do even a year before,” he explained. “I can say it now but I’d had a chat with Frank Bell when the Consett job became available and it was something that was on my mind as I was captain and it was something I thought long and hard about. I thought about how I could get my team to play, how to get the best out of players. I’d thought about it since I was at Spennymoor working under Jason Ainsley. It was a gamble for Shildon but I knew I wanted to do it.”

Role model

Perhaps it is not a surprise that Moore’s first 400 games in the dugout have brought success in league and cup competitions given the lessons he learnt working under one of North East non-league football’s most successful managers. During his time as a player and captain of Spennymoor Town, Moore was able to draw on the experience and knowledge of Moors legend Jason Ainsley and he admitted he would have been ‘foolish’ not to take something from his former boss.

He said: “In life, you have role models and Jason was one of those. The way he managed the team, the stuff he did, the way he had the dressing room, I always want to be myself but it would be foolish not to take from that. Jason is a happy go lucky kind of bloke - but he was spot on in the dressing room. You look at his success as a manager, you have to take everything you can from working with someone like that.”

Special

Looking back at a catalogue now consisting of over 400 games, there are many notable highs from Durham Challenge Cup wins with both Shildon and Hebburn and promotions with both clubs too - but it was a more recent triumph with the Hornets that has given Moore the most satisfaction during his time in the dugout.

“I think winning the Northern Premier League East Division with Hebburn stands out for me and it’s funny because I hear league managers saying when you win something with your team it eclipses everything you have done as a player and that is right. It’s a genuine feeling because you feel responsible for them and I always think over the season the best team deserves to win the league. To win it on the final day of the season after a long season, it was something very special that will live with me for the rest of my life.”

Grounded

Moore’s success has not come alone as he has been able to rely on the support of a trusted backroom team containing assistant manager Mark Hudson and goalkeeper coach Carl Morris. Others have come and gone - but the duo have served Moore well - even if the Hebburn boss did reveal their conversations and discussions are not always straightforward.

He said: “Huddo and Carlo have been brilliant for me and I worked with people like Micky Barron too, he’s a legend at Hartlepool and he’s worked in the Football League. I played alongside Huddo, we’d argue on the pitch, we argue off it now, but we are mates and we both know it’s just because we always want to get better. We disagree, we agree, we bounce ideas off each other and we can have those disagreements but then we are best mates. Carl has been outstanding because he’s more than a goalkeeper coach. He’s brilliant in the dressing room and he keeps us all grounded and it just works.”

Evolving

Keeping grounded has proven difficult for Hebburn this season as their recent run of remarkable form has pushed them into contention for a historic promotion into the National League North. Not so long ago, the Hornets were on the brink of going out of business before the current owners stepped in to fuel the fire that has brought three promotions, a Durham Challenge Cup final win, and FA Cup final win and a league title. Assessing what could lie ahead over the next 400 games of his managerial career, Moore believes an even greater step could be on the agenda if the club can continue their upward trajectory.

He said: “I’ve changed as a manager and when I first started, I managed how I played. It was 100 miles an hour, I was aggressive, but football has evolved and you can’t be that way. Society has evolved, you have to evolve too and I’m not saying I’ve cracked it but I think I am a good man manager and we have got the best out of a good group of players that have achieved what many people didn’t think they could. I want to keep evolving, I was to be a professional manager and the way this club is set up that, in 400 games time, there’s no reason this club can’t move towards that at some point. I am striving forwards, I want to take the club places it hasn’t been and that is what we are working towards.”

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