NPL Division One East
Ian Richards has ended his long and incredible stint in charge of Penistone Church to return to old club Stocksbridge Park Steels to become their new manager.
The announcement ends the search for Chris Hilton’s successor.His first game in the Stocksbridge dugout is Saturday’s home clash with Bridlington Town.
Richards spent 12 years at the helm of hometown club Penistone and miraculously dragged the club up from a lowly Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League position to the top of the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division.
Richards was always seen as the frontrunner for the Steels job due to his work at Penistone and the fact he spent several successful years at Bracken Moor as a player – many alongside Jamie Vardy.
Fellow ex-Steels striker Andy Ring – who scored the goal which won promotion in the late 2000s – will be Richards’ assistant.
In a statement, Penistone said: “Today the football club accepted the resignation of first team manager Ian Richards.
“When the dust has settled there is no doubt we’ll have more to say and add on Ian’s tremendous spell at the helm of our club.
“For now we thank Ian for all he’s done and we wish him the very best of luck in the future.
“As a club we’ll make decisions and announcements on our plans for our new management structure as soon as we can.”
Hilton’s assistant Lee Thompson, who took temporary charge and won two of his three games, has left the club after six years at Bracken Moor.