Mark Stimson
Encyclopedia
Mark Nicholas Stimson is an English former footballer and current manager
of Kettering Town
. He signed his first professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur
in 1985, but was unable to gain a regular place in the team. In 1989, he moved on to Newcastle United
, where he made over 80 appearances in the Football League
. He later played for Portsmouth
, Southend United
and Leyton Orient
before dropping into non-League football
.
He was appointed manager of Grays Athletic
in 2002 and remained in charge until 2006 when he took over as manager of Stevenage Borough. He led Grays to victory in the Final of the FA Trophy
in 2005 and 2006, and repeated the feat with Stevenage in 2007. In November 2007, he became manager of a Football League team for the first time when he took over at one of his former clubs, Gillingham
, but he was unable to prevent the club's relegation
from League One
at the end of the 2007–08 season. He led Gillingham back into League One the following season via the League Two play-off Final
, but his contract was terminated after the team were relegated back to League Two the following season. On 1 June 2010, Stimson was appointed as the new manager of League Two club Barnet
, but he was sacked on New Year's Day 2011 with the club near the bottom of the table.
in east London, Stimson played for the Essex
county representative football team and was on the books of Queens Park Rangers
, before joining Tottenham Hotspur
on an apprenticeship in July 1984. A year later, he signed his first professional contract, at the age of 17. He made his Football League
debut against Everton
in May 1987, but struggled to gain a place in the first team, and was sent to Leyton Orient
on loan in March 1988, where he played ten times. During the following season, he was loaned out again, this time to Gillingham
, whose manager, Keith Burkinshaw
, had worked with him at Tottenham. Stimson made 18 appearances for the Kent
-based club and, although he was unable to help the team avoid relegation
from the Third Division
, his contribution impressed the fans, who voted him into second place in the club's player of the year ballot.
At the end of the 1988–89 season, Stimson was transferred to Newcastle United
, then in the Second Division
, for a fee of £200,000. He spent four years with the club and finally gained a regular first team place, making over 80 appearances. After Kevin Keegan
took over as manager, however, Stimson found himself out of favour and he had a short spell on loan to Portsmouth
in December 1992, which led to a £100,000 transfer at the end of that season. He made over fifty appearances for Portsmouth but was also loaned out once again, this time to Barnet
during the early part of the 1995–96 season. In March 1996, he was transferred to Southend United
for a fee of £25,000. His first season at the club was affected by a long lay-off due to injury, meaning that he did not play between August and November, but he ultimately made over 50 Football League appearances for the club. During his time at Roots Hall
the club suffered two consecutive relegations, dropping from the First Division
into the Second Division in 1997 and from there into the Third Division in 1998. In March 1999, having not played for Southend since the previous November, he returned to former club Leyton Orient on a free transfer. He played for the club in the semi-finals of the play-offs
, but was restricted to an appearance as an unused substitute in the final, which Orient lost.
Prior to the 1999–2000 season, Stimson spent a short period on trial at another of his former clubs, Gillingham, but manager Peter Taylor decided against offering him a contract and he instead joined Isthmian League
club Canvey Island
. He helped the "Gulls" win the FA Trophy
in the 2000–01 season, setting up the only goal and winning the man of the match award in Canvey's 1–0 defeat of Forest Green Rovers
in the final. He was also selected to play for the England National Game XI, the national team for semi-professional players, earning one cap
against an equivalent team from the United States. He left Canvey in May 2002 to join Grays Athletic
as player-coach.
, but after leading the team to its first victory of the season, he was quickly given the job on an ongoing basis. Despite the signing of a number of former top-level players, such as Carl Leaburn
and Jason Dozzell
, the team escaped relegation by only one point. The following season, however, boosted by a switch to full-time professional status and helped by the goals of Freddy Eastwood
, Grays finished in 6th place, sufficient to gain a place in the newly-formed Conference South
for the 2004–05 season. Grays won the Conference South at the first attempt by a margin of 23 points, thus achieving promotion to the Conference National
, the top level of non-league football
, for the first time in their history. In the same season, Stimson also led Grays to the FA Trophy Final, where the team beat Hucknall Town
in a penalty shoot-out. Grays reached the FA Trophy Final once again in the following season, and claimed a second successive win after a 2–0 victory over Woking
at Upton Park
. In the Conference, Grays finished in third place and qualified for the play-offs for promotion
to the Football League
, but lost to Halifax Town
in the semi-finals.
Citing his disappointment at failing to gain promotion, Stimson resigned from his post at Grays on 16 May 2006. He stated that at the time he had received no firm job offers from other clubs, and acknowledged that he was taking a gamble with his career, but said that if he was unable to find a new job as a manager he would move into youth coaching or open his own football school. He was linked with the managerial vacancy at League Two
Peterborough United
, but eventually took over as manager of Stevenage Borough on 28 May, and led the club to an eighth-place finish in the Conference National in his first season in charge. Stevenage also defeated Stimson's former club Grays to reach the FA Trophy final, and beat Kidderminster Harriers
3–2 at the new Wembley Stadium
in the final, giving Stimson a third consecutive Trophy win as a manager.
In the early part of the 2007–08 season, speculation began to mount that Stimson would be approached to take over as manager of a Football League club, with Gillingham, Port Vale
and Millwall
all alleged to be interested in his services. He was offered a new contract by Stevenage on 16 October 2007, but resigned the following day. On 1 November, he was appointed as the new manager of Gillingham, and quickly moved to sign a number of Stevenage players, including Adam Miller
and John Nutter
. He was unable to recreate his previous success, however, and at the end of the 2007–08 season Gillingham were relegated from League One
. He was also criticised by departing player Aaron Brown
, who acknowledged that Stimson had strong coaching skills but described his man-management as "shocking". The following season the Gills finished fifth in League Two and beat Shrewsbury Town
1–0 in the play-off Final
at Wembley Stadium
to gain promotion, but in the 2009–10
season Gillingham were relegated back to League Two, after which Stimson's contract was terminated "by mutual consent" on 10 May 2010.
On 1 June, Stimson was appointed as the new manager of League Two club Barnet
, but was sacked seven months later on 1 January 2011 due to a bad string of results which left the club near the bottom of the table. Towards the latter stages of the 2010–11 season, Stimson accepted a coaching role at Dagenham & Redbridge
. After a brief spell at Dagenham, he was appointed manager of Conference National
club Kettering Town
on 7 September 2011.
, who in 2008 joined Gillingham's youth team, but turned down the offer of a professional contract in 2010 after his father's dismissal from the manager's job. In 2000, Stimson presented his Essex Senior Cup
winner's medal to a disabled Canvey Island fan, saying "it's easy to forget the fans who come along and support us, often in pouring rain."
Manager (association football)
In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...
of Kettering Town
Kettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
. He signed his first professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in 1985, but was unable to gain a regular place in the team. In 1989, he moved on to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, where he made over 80 appearances in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. He later played for Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
and Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
before dropping into non-League football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
.
He was appointed manager of Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
in 2002 and remained in charge until 2006 when he took over as manager of Stevenage Borough. He led Grays to victory in the Final of the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
in 2005 and 2006, and repeated the feat with Stevenage in 2007. In November 2007, he became manager of a Football League team for the first time when he took over at one of his former clubs, Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, but he was unable to prevent the club's relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
at the end of the 2007–08 season. He led Gillingham back into League One the following season via the League Two play-off Final
2009 Football League Two play-off Final
The 2009 Football League Two play-off final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 23 May 2009, at the end of the 2008–09 season. The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, and featured...
, but his contract was terminated after the team were relegated back to League Two the following season. On 1 June 2010, Stimson was appointed as the new manager of League Two club Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
, but he was sacked on New Year's Day 2011 with the club near the bottom of the table.
Playing career
Born in PlaistowPlaistow, Newham
Plaistow is a place in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It formed part of the County Borough of West Ham in Essex until 1965.Plaistow is a mainly residential area, including several council estates; the main road is the A112 - Plaistow Road, High Street, Broadway, Greengate Street and...
in east London, Stimson played for the Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
county representative football team and was on the books of Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, before joining Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
on an apprenticeship in July 1984. A year later, he signed his first professional contract, at the age of 17. He made his Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
debut against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in May 1987, but struggled to gain a place in the first team, and was sent to Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
on loan in March 1988, where he played ten times. During the following season, he was loaned out again, this time to Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, whose manager, Keith Burkinshaw
Keith Burkinshaw
Harry Keith Burkinshaw is an English former professional footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
, had worked with him at Tottenham. Stimson made 18 appearances for the Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
-based club and, although he was unable to help the team avoid relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
, his contribution impressed the fans, who voted him into second place in the club's player of the year ballot.
At the end of the 1988–89 season, Stimson was transferred to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, then in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, for a fee of £200,000. He spent four years with the club and finally gained a regular first team place, making over 80 appearances. After Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
took over as manager, however, Stimson found himself out of favour and he had a short spell on loan to Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
in December 1992, which led to a £100,000 transfer at the end of that season. He made over fifty appearances for Portsmouth but was also loaned out once again, this time to Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
during the early part of the 1995–96 season. In March 1996, he was transferred to Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
for a fee of £25,000. His first season at the club was affected by a long lay-off due to injury, meaning that he did not play between August and November, but he ultimately made over 50 Football League appearances for the club. During his time at Roots Hall
Roots Hall
Roots Hall is a multi-use sports stadium in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, primarily used for football games and is the home of the Football League Two club Southend United. With a capacity of 12,392 Roots Hall is the largest football stadium in Essex, and is the current venue for the final of...
the club suffered two consecutive relegations, dropping from the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
into the Second Division in 1997 and from there into the Third Division in 1998. In March 1999, having not played for Southend since the previous November, he returned to former club Leyton Orient on a free transfer. He played for the club in the semi-finals of the play-offs
Football League Two play-offs
The Football League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches, contested by the teams finishing from 4th to 7th in the Football League Two table to determine the fourth promotion place to the third tier of English football, League One. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 7th playing...
, but was restricted to an appearance as an unused substitute in the final, which Orient lost.
Prior to the 1999–2000 season, Stimson spent a short period on trial at another of his former clubs, Gillingham, but manager Peter Taylor decided against offering him a contract and he instead joined Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
club Canvey Island
Canvey Island F.C.
Canvey Island F.C, known as the Gulls or Yellow Army, are an English football club founded in 1926 that play in the Isthmian League Premier Division....
. He helped the "Gulls" win the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
in the 2000–01 season, setting up the only goal and winning the man of the match award in Canvey's 1–0 defeat of Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
in the final. He was also selected to play for the England National Game XI, the national team for semi-professional players, earning one cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
against an equivalent team from the United States. He left Canvey in May 2002 to join Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
as player-coach.
Managerial career
In September 2002, Stimson took over as manager of Grays after the sacking of Craig Edwards, initially as caretaker managerCaretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
, but after leading the team to its first victory of the season, he was quickly given the job on an ongoing basis. Despite the signing of a number of former top-level players, such as Carl Leaburn
Carl Leaburn
Carl Winston Leaburn is a former English football player who generally played as a striker.Born in nearby Lewisham, Leaburn progressed through the youth set-up at and made his debut in the late 1980s. He also played in the England Under 20's team under Graham Taylor...
and Jason Dozzell
Jason Dozzell
Jason Irvin Winans Dozzell is an English former professional association footballer who made more than 500 Football League appearances for Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Northampton Town and Colchester United...
, the team escaped relegation by only one point. The following season, however, boosted by a switch to full-time professional status and helped by the goals of Freddy Eastwood
Freddy Eastwood
Freddy Eastwood is an English-born footballer, currently playing for Coventry City. He is a Welsh International, eligible to play for the Wales national football team as his maternal grandfather was born in Llanelli, Wales...
, Grays finished in 6th place, sufficient to gain a place in the newly-formed Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
for the 2004–05 season. Grays won the Conference South at the first attempt by a margin of 23 points, thus achieving promotion to the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, the top level of non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
, for the first time in their history. In the same season, Stimson also led Grays to the FA Trophy Final, where the team beat Hucknall Town
Hucknall Town F.C.
Hucknall Town F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. The club are members of the Northern Premier League Premier Division and play at Watnall Road.-History:...
in a penalty shoot-out. Grays reached the FA Trophy Final once again in the following season, and claimed a second successive win after a 2–0 victory over Woking
Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the...
at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
. In the Conference, Grays finished in third place and qualified for the play-offs for promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, but lost to Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
in the semi-finals.
Citing his disappointment at failing to gain promotion, Stimson resigned from his post at Grays on 16 May 2006. He stated that at the time he had received no firm job offers from other clubs, and acknowledged that he was taking a gamble with his career, but said that if he was unable to find a new job as a manager he would move into youth coaching or open his own football school. He was linked with the managerial vacancy at League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
, but eventually took over as manager of Stevenage Borough on 28 May, and led the club to an eighth-place finish in the Conference National in his first season in charge. Stevenage also defeated Stimson's former club Grays to reach the FA Trophy final, and beat Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
3–2 at the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in the final, giving Stimson a third consecutive Trophy win as a manager.
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
and Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
all alleged to be interested in his services. He was offered a new contract by Stevenage on 16 October 2007, but resigned the following day. On 1 November, he was appointed as the new manager of Gillingham, and quickly moved to sign a number of Stevenage players, including Adam Miller
Adam Miller (footballer)
Adam Edward Miller is an English footballer, of Irish descent, who plays for Cambridge United. He began his career with Ipswich Town but failed to make the first team and played for several non-league teams before joining Queens Park Rangers, where he made his Football League debut in December 2004...
and John Nutter
John Nutter
John Robert William Nutter is an English footballer who plays for Lincoln City. He has also played for Blackburn Rovers, Aldershot Town, St Albans City, Grays Athletic, Stevenage Borough and Wycombe Wanderers.-Career:...
. He was unable to recreate his previous success, however, and at the end of the 2007–08 season Gillingham were relegated from League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. He was also criticised by departing player Aaron Brown
Aaron Brown (footballer born 1980)
Aaron Wesley Brown is an English professional footballer who plays for Darlington. His younger brother Marvin also played professionally and both were with Bristol City at the same time.-Bristol City:...
, who acknowledged that Stimson had strong coaching skills but described his man-management as "shocking". The following season the Gills finished fifth in League Two and beat Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
1–0 in the play-off Final
2009 Football League Two play-off Final
The 2009 Football League Two play-off final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 23 May 2009, at the end of the 2008–09 season. The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, and featured...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
to gain promotion, but in the 2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
season Gillingham were relegated back to League Two, after which Stimson's contract was terminated "by mutual consent" on 10 May 2010.
On 1 June, Stimson was appointed as the new manager of League Two club Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
, but was sacked seven months later on 1 January 2011 due to a bad string of results which left the club near the bottom of the table. Towards the latter stages of the 2010–11 season, Stimson accepted a coaching role at Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham...
. After a brief spell at Dagenham, he was appointed manager of Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
club Kettering Town
Kettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
on 7 September 2011.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Grays Athletic Grays Athletic F.C. Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season... |
 |
17 September 2002 | 16 May 2006 | 202 | 111 | 60 | 31 | ||
| Stevenage Borough | |
28 May 2006 | 17 October 2007 | 72 | 38 | 13 | 21 | ||
| Gillingham Gillingham F.C. Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium... |
|
1 November 2007 | 10 May 2010 | 144 | 48 | 41 | 55 | ||
| Barnet Barnet F.C. Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet.... |
|
1 June 2010 | 1 January 2011 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 16 | ||
| Kettering Town Kettering Town F.C. Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08... |
|
7 September 2011 | Present | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Total | 451 | 204 | 120 | 127 | |||||
As a player
- 2000–01: FA TrophyFA TrophyThe Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
winner – Canvey IslandCanvey Island F.C.Canvey Island F.C, known as the Gulls or Yellow Army, are an English football club founded in 1926 that play in the Isthmian League Premier Division....
As a manager
- 2004–05: Conference SouthConference SouthConference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
champions – Grays AthleticGrays Athletic F.C.Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season... - 2004–05: FA Trophy winners – Grays Athletic
- 2005–06: FA Trophy winners – Grays Athletic
- 2006–07: FA Trophy winners – Stevenage Borough
- 2008–092008–09 in English footballThe 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
: League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-off winners – GillinghamGillingham F.C.Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
Personal life
Stimson is married, and when he returned to former club Grays Athletic as manager of Stevenage Borough in 2007, he and his wife were praised for visiting the clubhouse after the game to chat to home supporters. He has three children, including a son, CharlieCharlie Stimson
Charlie Thomas F. Stimson is an English footballer, who plays as a forward for Concord Rangers.-Career:Stimson made his Barnet debut on 25 September 2010 in their 2–2 draw against Morecambe. He left Barnet at the end of the 2010–11 season.-Personal life:Stimson's father, Mark is a former...
, who in 2008 joined Gillingham's youth team, but turned down the offer of a professional contract in 2010 after his father's dismissal from the manager's job. In 2000, Stimson presented his Essex Senior Cup
Essex Senior Cup
The Essex Senior Cup is a knock-out system football competition that has been running since 1884, and is the most prestigious cup competition in the county of Essex. The competition is run mainly for non-league clubs in the region, although league sides have been known to enter the competition,...
winner's medal to a disabled Canvey Island fan, saying "it's easy to forget the fans who come along and support us, often in pouring rain."