Darlington last month achieved their second promotion inside three seasons, both coming under the guidance of manager Martin Gray. Deputy Sports Editor Craig Stoddart speaks to Quakers’ boss about his three years at the helm so far

REMAINING in charge of one club for three seasons is a rarity in football these days. During an era of intense scrutiny encouraged by social media, even at semi-pro level managers appear to be never more than a couple of defeats away from a crisis.

So it’s worth noting that last week marked the third anniversary of Martin Gray’s tenure as Darlington manager, the longest spell in charge anyone has had at the club since David Hodgson’s second coming. That was 1996-2000, a period during which he signed Gray.

He joined from Oxford United to become Quakers’ midfielder enforcer, after his playing days ended became a youth coach and then assistant manager before becoming boss in the summer of 2012 having followed Dave Penney to Oldham as his number two for a brief spell.

As Quakers recovered from being demoted four divisions by the Football Association after falling into administration in 2011-12, Gray started with nothing. Quickly he recruited former team-mate Brian Atkinson as assistant and the wily Harry Dunn as scout and they’ve not looked back.

Gray’s now overseen 152 games in all competitions and two promotions, guiding Darlington from the Northern League to the Evo-Stik Premier Division – from Step 5 to 3 in non-league, the seventh tier of the game – and he’s not done yet, rebuffing interested clubs further up the ladder.

“I’ve had two sniffs in the last three years, two conversations with people within the game,” he said. “It was a simple no each time. There’s a job here to do and I’m on my way to doing the job that I set out to.

“I thanked them for the call. They’d probably seen what I’d done, but I’m the Darlington manager and that’s what I aim to be long-term.

“I said three years ago that the aim was to try and get the club back to where it belongs, we’ve climbed two tiers and we’ve got two or three more to go.

“To do that we know we need to increase our playing budget to compete with the teams higher up as we go along, but we’ll deal with that when it comes. At this moment we’re in a good position.”

He won’t identify the clubs other than to say one was in the Conference and the other the Football League, but admits a move from Quakers would affect the Martin Gray Football Academy.

“My business ties in well with the football club and vice versa. We’ve got the reserves and apprenticeships starting this year, so it’s a good fit,” added Gray.

He’s hands on, a full-time approach to what’s meant to be a part-time job.

“I’ve been allowed to bring in my own people, from the kitman to the groundsman, the medical team to the youth coaches, we’ve hand-picked every player from day one and it’s been a tough challenge.

“As soon as I came out of the game as a player I wanted to be a manager. Coaching was always the most important thing and I lead all of my training sessions, I’m a manager that coaches. My backroom staff do an awful lot, but I put my print on things, I like to get my tracksuit on.

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“It’s been a learning curve and I’m a better manager now than I was three years ago. I’ve learned more about the importance of involving everybody. It’s not just about me, it’s about the management team.”

Creating a bond between players, club officials and fans has remained a strong element of Gray’s approach throughout his three years.

“I’ve worked under lots of managers as a player and as a number two and picked up all of their best bits I hope,” he added. “I like to think everyone is equal, everyone has an input, but I’ll have the final decision. I make people feel part of what we’re trying to achieve and because of that we get an extra 20 per cent from everyone.

“Every player has had a part to play. There’s plenty of players that have done their bit and then left and been forgotten about. Craig Gott, Chris Emms, Adam Nicholls, they all did a job for us. There’s lots of people that have played their part, who’ve moved on and then the next ones come in.

“There’s no weak links in the chain, my back is safe, nobody loads the gun when I walk out of the room. The biggest part of management is having the right staff around you. It’s a shared success we’ve had, everybody has contributed.

“I don’t know where those three years have gone, so much has happened in that time. It’s been an exciting three years, we’ve had something to play for every year.”

After winning the Northern League title with a record points total in 2012, Darlington were defeated in the Evo-Stik First Division play-offs a year ago before going one better in May, beating Bamber Bridge 2-0 in the play-off final, much to the chagrin of Darlington’s detractors.

Hostility has come from their ‘friends’ in the North-West, as well as some closer to home, and Gray explained: “We’ve had a lot of knockers from day one, so there’s nothing better than getting to the end of the season and having a little smile to yourself about all the people that wanted you to fail. They’re the people that make you work harder, but the higher we go we’re going to come across that attitude more and more.

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“It’s magnificent to think that the club has gained two promotions in three years, we’ve got an amazing fanbase and a workmanlike mentality throughout the club.

“We’ve had some hard times – we’ve been close to the wire with finances – but fans have kept us alive and we’ve kept things alive on the pitch.

“The directors manage the funds sensibly. There’s not a penny wasted. It’s a refreshing mentality. We have to look after every penny that comes into the club because it’s been hard for the fans to raise money, they’ve continually put their hand in their pocket and we’ve got to be respectful of that.”

In March supporters raised £244,444 through the purchase of five-year season tickets after answering the club’s appeal for funds needed to develop Blackwell Meadows, Darlington’s new home.

They will continue as tennants at Bishop Auckland’s Heritage Park at the beginning of next season until Blackwell is ready.

The much-anticipated move is something to look forward to, as is the continued ascent through the divisions under Gray. That’s the plan anyway.

“We’re part way through the job that I set out to do,” added the manager who signed a five-year contract in 2013.

“This was always an important year for promotion. The Northern League was straightforward, there was a real momentum there and it was not the toughest of challenges. That’s not being disrespectful, but it was a case of getting your team organised.

“In year two we went as close as we could to promotion again. The character of the players, the way they responded in year three, was fantastic.

“We were going back to the same grounds and again everyone wanted to beat us. We had a battle with Salford and ended up in the play-offs, it was a rollercoaster and to gain a promotion – the first play-off final I or the club has won. It was great to get the monkey off our back, we can kick on now and look forward to the next challenge.”

*Goalkeeper Mark Bell has joined Bishop Auckland. He was in great form when Darlington won the Northern League title in 2012 having joined midway through the campaign from West Auckland, but was second-choice last season to Peter Jameson. Due to Jameson being suspended, Bell was called on for the play-off final and kept a clean sheet in Quakers' 2-0 win.

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