LEAGUE OF IRELAND First Division side Waterford FC have appointed Danny Searle as their new head coach following the departure of Ian Morris.
The 44-year-old Englishman was most recently manager of Aldershot Town in England’s National League.
Searle previously worked within the underage structures of Chelsea, Charlton Athletic and West Ham before becoming assistant manager at National League Braintree Town ahead of the 2018/19 season. Searle took over as manager of relegation-doomed Braintree in January 2019 when predecessor Hakan Hayrettin left for Maidstone. Despite winning six of his 16 games in charge, and four of the last six, they finished 11 points from safety.
He was subsequently appointed manager of Aldershot, leading them to National League safety in two consecutive seasons and to an FA Trophy quarter-final.
The Shots reluctantly moved on from Searle early last season, with the club sitting 21st in the table in late September.
They did, however, list in great detail the positive impact he had made on the club in their statement confirming his sacking, with chairman Shahid Azeem describing Searle as “a well-qualified and fantastic individual with great morals and ethics”, and one who had been “a great asset for the club during this time with a number of improvements in a number of areas.”
Searle was especially hailed for narrowing the gap between the club’s academy and its first team. Following his departure, Aldershot wound up finishing the 2021/22 season in 20th, avoiding relegation.
Upon his appointment as Waterford boss, Searle said this afternoon: “I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait to get on the grass with the players. I’ve met the staff and we are looking forward to building on the good work that’s already been put in place. Waterford are a big club and the mission is clear: we want to be back in the Premier Division.”
Chairman Mitch Cowling added: “I would like to thank Gary [Hunt] and David [Breen] for stepping up and taking on more responsibility over the last six games working closely under Tobias [Phoenix] and producing six wins out of six. The three of them have done a fantastic job and long may that continue with the help of Danny coming in.
“I am also looking forward to welcoming everyone back at the RSC next Friday (24th June) to give the second half of the season a real push together to get the club back to where it belongs.”
