BILLINGHAM Town chairman Kevin Close has paid an emotional tribute to joint-manager Gary Pearson after he passed away on Thursday afternoon from a suspected heart attack aged 45.
Fearsome and brave on the pitch during his playing career, Pearson represented the likes of Darlington, Gateshead and York City before moving into management following his retirement in 2011.
After kicking off his time in the dugout by leading Crook Town to promotion into Northern League Division One in 2013, Pearson went on to earn more success during an eight-year stay with Ryhope Colliery Welfare.
Working alongside fellow joint-managers Craig Hughes and David Pounder, Ryhope secured a club record finish of fifth place in Division One last season and they also lifted the Durham Challenge Cup with a penalty shoot-out win against Crook.
Weeks after that cup win, Ryhope resigned from the Northern League. Their management trio then took on the challenge of helping Billingham Town secure an immediate return to the top tier following their relegation last season.
A number of players followed Pearson, Hughes and Pounder to Billingham and hopes were high of a successful first season with the club – but it will now be left to the latter duo to continue their impressive early work.
Despite spending just over a month with the club, Close revealed Pearson’s sad passing has made a big impact on the Town coaches and volunteers.
He told The NLP: “We’d just been relegated and we wanted to get back up so Gary was the right choice because of what he gets out of his players.
“Some of the players he brought in were first division players and they came to a second division club because of him, because of his enthusiasm and what he brings out in them.
“His passion was football and his wife and two daughters.
“It’s been very hard. As much as people at the club have only known him for a couple of months, they were devastated because that’s the impact he has had.
“It’s a massive loss, it’s just devastating news.”
