FORMER Mansfield Town and Kidderminster Harriers boss Stuart Watkiss has been appointed as assistant manager at Stockport County.
Watkiss will provide some much-needed knowledge of the English game to Hatters boss Darije Kalezic, who has previously only managed in the Netherlands and Belgium.
As a player, the 46-year-old had stints with Wolves, Crewe Alexandra, Walsall, Hereford United and Mansfield Town.
He hung up his boots in 1999 and subsequently took a role managing the Mansfield youth team.
Watkiss later stepped up to become number two to Billy Dearden and then succeeded Dearden as manager in January 2002.
He led the Stags to promotion in 2002/03 but they struggled the following season and Watkiss was sacked with the club languishing bottom of League Two.
A brief spell in charge of the Barnsley academy in 2004 proceeded his appointment as manager of Kidderminster Harriers on an 18-month deal.
In 2006 he joined Grimsby Town as assistant to Graham Rodger as he twice took caretaker charge of the Mariners prior to his departure at the end of the 20008/09 season.
Over the past few years, Waktkiss has been a development coach at Hull City, where he worked under Phil Brown. Upon Steve Bruce’s appointment at the KC Stadium last summer he was relieved of his duties.
Watkiss’s appointment as assistant manager at Stockport sees the previous incumbent, Alan Lord, take on a new role as the club’s consultant scout.
