Workington Reds have appointed former Lancaster City manager Mark Fell to succeed Danny Grainger at the end of the season.
Fell, 41, left Lancaster at the end of last year after almost five years at the Giant Axe club in the NPL Premier Division.
Previously he had managed at North West Counties side Nelson and at Ramsbottom in the NPL West Division.
The Workington players were told at training tonight of the Reds’ decision to appoint Fell but he won’t be taking-up the reins until after the final game of the season.
Grainger had decided not to renew his contract and Workington have been looking for a replacement for the last fortnight.
A club statement said: “Workington AFC are delighted to announce that Mark Fell has agreed to become our new first team manager.
“He will succeed Danny Grainger as soon as the current season finishes at the end of April.
“The former Lancaster City and Ramsbottom Utd manager has proven himself at NPL level over recent years and brings a wealth of experience to the club.”
Vice chairman Richard Lewthwaite added: “We are delighted to be able to confirm Mark’s appointment in readiness for next season.
“His achievements with clubs at our level speak for themselves.
“Once we’d met with Mark it was clear that he is the right man for the job. We are all excited about working with him as we drive the club forward.”
The club stressed that it was grateful to Grainger for allowing them the early notice of his departure and giving them the opportunity to make an early appointment.
“It’s so important that we are able to confirm Mark’s appointment now. This allows him to start preparing in the background with regards to how he wants pre-season to look and obviously begin thinking about the all-important close-season recruitment,” added Lewthwaite.
Fell has been successful in West Cumbria before. As a youngster he raced at Rowrah Kart Stadium and was a junior British Champion. His family has always been involved in motor sport.
But football has figured more prominently on his sporting CV since his teens and he had this to say about his appointment at Workington.
“From the first meeting with the board it was clear to me this was a great opportunity and there was a real alignment in terms of ambition and ways of working.
“This is a huge club in the NPL with a great infrastructure and superb fanbase. Danny has done an exceptional job and leaves the club with really strong foundations or us to work from.
“My job is to build on this and the planning processes for 2024/25 are already well underway.
“I’ll be joined by my long-standing assistant Graham Lancashire and we’ll also be putting the finishing touches to the rest of the backroom team shortly.
“I can’t wait to get started and looking forward to meeting everyone at the club in the coming weeks,” he said.
