Former Sunderland and Newcastle United coach named as new South Shields manager

Former Newcastle United and Sunderland coach Elliott Dickman has been named as new permanent manager of National League North club South Shields.

The move comes after Dickman led the Mariners to an eighth placed finish in non-league football’s second tier after taking interim charge following the departure of former boss Julio Arca midway through the season. Although there was some disappointment over narrowly missing out on a play-off place, finishing in the top eight represented a historic moment for the club as they look to continue their push towards the National League.

Dickman, who spent time coaching at Newcastle and Sunderland prior to joining the Mariners as an Under-16s to Under-19s academy manager last summer, has now penned a two-year deal to take permanent charge of first-team affairs and he wasted little time in paying tribute to the players and staff that have supported him since his initial appointment in December.

He said: “It is a real honour and a privilege for me and my family, to now be confirmed as first-team manager of our fantastic football club. Both Andy and I are really grateful and excited for this opportunity. I would like to give a special mention and thanks to the players and backroom team. Without their hard work and efforts, none of this would have materialised for us, and we are really grateful for their full support.”

Dickman endured a challenging opening to his time as interim manager as the Mariners suffered home and away defeat against North East rivals Blyth Spartans either side of the turn of the year. Slowly, but surely, Dickman began to coax an improvement out of his players, and the form of the likes of striker Paul Blackett, on-loan Newcastle United youngster Dylan Stephenson and Mariners academy product Will Jenkins ensured a possible play-off push became a firm challenge towards the end of the season.

After narrowly missing out on a top seven place, there are now high hopes the Mariners can look to be heavily involved in the promotion battle once again when the new season gets underway in August. Dickman is relishing the challenge that lies in wait as he paid tribute to South Shields owner and chairman Geoff Thompson and the club’s supporters for their backing in recent months.

He said: “I also would like to thank Geoff for putting his trust in us to help continue to develop and improve our club. Your backing means everything to us all. Finally, our brilliant fans. You have been excellent and have been behind the team both home and away. We do truly value all your support and we hope we can continue to pay you back by improving upon our first season in the National League North.”

Dickman will now focus on adding to his squad during the summer after the likes of Aaron Martin, CJ Clarke and Michael Woods all confirmed they were leaving the club in recent days.