By Matt Badcock
Dino Maamria says he hasn’t been handed the Stevenage job because of his history with the club but because he’s earned the chance by doing good jobs in Non-League.
The 46-year-old has been working towards becoming a Football League boss for a number of years and leaves National League North Nuneaton Town to replace Darren Sarll.
Maamria is well-known to the League Two club having played for them in the Conference, while he’s had two spells as assistant manager under Graham Westley.
The duo led Boro to the Conference title in 2010 the year after they’d lifted the FA Trophy at Wembley before winning a successive promotion into League One in 2011.
It was a golden period for the Hertfordshire outfit as they reached the play-offs only to lose in the semi-finals to Sheffield United with Championship football just 90 minutes away.
Maamria was also Westley’s No.2 at Preston North End and Newport County, as well as when they returned to Stevenage in 2013.
Opportunity
But the former Doncaster Rovers, Southport and Leigh RMI striker has never hidden his desire to be a manager in his own right and has had three successful roles in Non-League, often in challenging circumstances.
In 2007-08 he became player-manager at cash-strapped Northwich Victoria after they’d lost 15 of their first 17 Conference games and managed to overturn a 15-point deficit to seal survival.
After a seven-year break from a No.1 job, he returned to Southport, who had won just three of their first 20 matches and were deep in relegation trouble, and moved them up the table with a nine-game unbeaten run before leaving for family reasons.
Earlier this season, he took charge of struggling National League North side Nuneaton Town and leaves them six points outside the play-offs following one defeat in ten games. And he says he’s ready to grasp his opportunity at Stevenage.
“Some managers get a job because they know someone, but I like to think I’ve earned my chance,” Maamria told The NLP. “One of the first things the chairman said to me was, ‘I know we know you, I know you played for us – but I wouldn’t bring you in if you didn’t get wins wherever you go’.
“It’s good to earn a position on the back of your work. It’s a good opportunity. It’s put me on the map as a Football League manager, it’s up to me how far I can go.
“I put in a lot of courses, I’m as qualified as I can be – Pro Licence, sports psychology, fitness and sports science. I’ve done everything to make sure I’m ready.
“But it’s not just that. I’ve grafted in the Conference and Conference North with struggling teams.
“When you go through all that you’ve got so much. I was learning on the job and taking jobs that were difficult. When you come to a Football League club it almost seems easy because you’ve been used to doing so many things the hard way. I’m not saying this is going to be easy, but at least I’ve got a good starting point.”
Maamria says saying goodbye to Nuneaton was difficult and he praised chairman Lee Thorn’s philosophy of developing young footballers.
“I’ve left a group of players who are absolutely brilliant,” he said. “They gave me everything they’ve got and bought into all the ethics I wanted to bring in there. The rewards were the results.
“I had a good chairman who backed me as much as he can because resources are limited. The fans and the town were really welcoming. So I’m sad to leave Nuneaton, but the main thing is I left them in a good position and that can’t be underestimated.”
After plugging away in Non-League, Maamria hopes more managers are given a crack in the Football League.
Fortunate
“There are a lot of good Non-League managers out there,” he said. “Because they are good Non-League managers, it’s almost like the Football League doesn’t look at them.
“This season we’ve seen a few step up – Neil Aspin went to Port Vale, Dean Keates to Walsall. It’s good because there are a lot of good managers doing great work.
“Sometimes, because they’re good there, they stay there. Obviously I’m fortunate, but I’ve earned my chance and I’m over the moon.
“I’m not just at any Football League club, it’s my club – I’m at a club I love. I know all the staff, I know the fans.”
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper which is available every Sunday and Monday
