EBAC Northern League Division One side Shildon have today appointed Martin Gray as sporting director.

Gray, who was York City manager at the beginning of this season, achieved three promotions with Darlington, taking them to National League North from the Northern League.

Gray’s move to the Dean Street club comes just over a year since he left Quakers to become York boss, where he was sacked in August.

Daniel Moore remains as Shildon’s manager, with Gray working on building the club’s academy.

Gray said: “I was approached a number of weeks ago by David Dent [Shildon chairman] to discuss the opportunity of taking Shildon forward and progressing up the leagues.

“His vision, the project ahead and the role of sporting director excites me, I had numerous management offers earlier in the season but they have not been right for me. This feels right.

“It’s about the bigger picture for the club and Shildon. As soon as I met with David and we discussed the plans for the wider community, it was easy to see how we could work in partnership to achieve this.

“I have had subsequent meetings with David and manager Daniel Moore and we are united in our thoughts moving forward.”

Dent said: “We are building on the club’s strong foundations to help us realise our ambitions on and off the pitch.

“Martin’s appointment is a defining moment in the club’s history. He is an exceptional coach and manager and brings strong leadership skills which will assist first team manager, Daniel Moore in realising his ambitions of managing Shildon AFC at a higher level.”

Dent added: “We have spent a great deal of time planning the club’s next step and Martin is an essential part of this and he is as excited as I am at the challenge ahead.

“This is a five-year project and I am confident we will see Shildon competing in the Northern Premier League, with a successful academy behind us.

“This forms a crucial part of the work which is ongoing with our community club sponsor Livin allowing the club to be truly engaged with our local community.”

Moore said: “Having met Martin and spoken with him and David at length about our plans for the future, I can say there are exciting times ahead for the club, the town, the players and myself.

“Martin has a wealth of experience in professional and non-league football which I can tap into and that can only help the development of myself as a manager and the professional running of the club which I have worked hard on over the last two years.”

Shildon say they have further plans which will see former Darlington scout Harry Dunn appointed head of recruitment and further investment will be secured.