Durham City appoint new management team as ex-Sunderland man leaves role

The duo will step into the roles departed by Billy Harper and Stephen Durrant after they decided to bring an end to their ten-month reign after last Saturday’s 4-0 home defeat against Bedlington Terriers.

The Citizens have also confirmed that former Newcastle United defender Olivier Bernard will remain in caretaker charge for Tuesday night’s Mitre Sport Brooks Mileson League Cup tie at Chester-le-Street Town.

That move means that Inness and Flintoft will oversee their first training session on Thursday night, before kicking off their reign with a home game against Jarrow on Saturday.

Club chairman Gary Hutchinson told the Echo: “On behalf of the club, I would like to thank all those applicants we spoke to over the last couple of days.

“There were a few ex-players and managers, but we decided to give it a slightly different approach.

“Andy has worked at Newcastle United Women, Carlisle United and Monkseaton Academy, and Ross brings experience of the non-league scene after working with Brandon United, Wolviston and Alnwick Town in the past.

“We look forward to working with two experienced coaches, who can hopefully help us climb the league with a squad we believe just needs a few tweaks.”

Inness – who has left his role as a Youth Development Coach at Carlisle United – admitted that the new management team face a tough task over the coming months as they take over a side that have won just two league games this season.

He said “Myself and Ross have been looking for an opportunity to manage at this level and with Durham we both feel this is the right place for us.

We’re under no illusions it’s a difficult task but we believe in the players and it’s a challenge we will relish.”

Elsewhere in the Northern League, Division One club Shildon have confirmed that former Sunderland midfielder Martin Gray has left his role as Sporting Director.

A club statement read “We are grateful for the blueprint Martin has set down for the future direction of the Clubs training regime and Academy structure.

“He has a wealth of experience which we have been fortunate to draw upon whilst he’s been at the Club and he has helped set the foundations for the next chapter in Shildon AFC’s history.

“We always knew that Martin would be employed by Shildon AFC for a limited period of time and we wish him all the best in his future career”