Russ Penn backs ex-boss Steve Watson to recruit well at York City

Despite significan budget cutting last summer at Gateshead, the ex-Everton defender helped transform the club from 2017/18 relegation contenders into play-off challengers this season with the addition of 12 new signings.

Among those were attacking pair Luke Armstrong and Scott Boden, who both plundered 11 goals apiece, before moving on to Accrington Stanley and Chesterfield respectively last month.

Armstrong was one of three loan arrivals from Gateshead’s high-profile north-east neighbours with Sunderland midfielder Luke Molyneux and Middlesbrough keeper Aynsley Pears also agreeing temporary terms.

Following his impressive first half of the campaign with the Heed, Molyneux has moved on to Hartlepool, while 20-year-old netminder Pears has started all but two of the club’s 32 National League contests this term.

Newcastle under-23s hopeful Jack Hunter, Middlesbrough youngster Lewis Maloney and Greg Olley, from Hull, were also brought to the International Stadium on free transfers, but Watson was not adverse to looking lower down the leagues either, with Boden previously at Wrexham, while Steven Rigg and Connor Thomson joined from Chorley and Halifax respectively.

Veteran defender Mike Williamson, meanwhile, came from Oxford having spent six years at Watson’s former club Newcastle, whilst a raid on Scotland saw Annan’s Cameron Salkeld and Mark Foden, of Stenhousemuir, move south of the border.

Penn decided to move on from the Heed after playing for Watson last season, as he opted for full-time football and a second spell at City over the summer.

He went on to leave for last weekend’s National League North hosts Kidderminster in November with the Minstermen struggling for form, but the 33-year-old midfielder reckons that Watson will do the required transfer-market business to get the club moving in the right direction again.

The former England C international reasoned: “When I was at Gateshead, he took over Neil Aspin’s team at Gateshead but, in the summer, he used the loan market and youth system really well. He knows Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland players and he left Gateshead in the play-off positions despite playing in front of 500 fans.

“He will use some of those contacts next season for sure at York, clear some of the dead wood out and I think the club will really kick on.”

Having been a regular for Watson at Gateshead, Penn also feels his former boss has the required personality to succeed with City, declaring: “He takes no messing about and knows exactly what he wants and, until he’s got it, he’s not happy.

“He did great at Gateshead and I enjoyed working with him. The training was always positive, and he would be straight down the middle with you.

“You know where you stand with him and I think that’s what York have needed over the last two years. You can see with results and performances that things are slowly changing.

“I was surprised when he took the job, because Gateshead are doing well in the division above, but you can only go so far with them and he knows he’s come to a proper football club that’s going into a new stadium. If you do well at York, it’s the best job in the world and that’s how he’ll see it.”

Penn admitted he saw a positive difference in the team that won 2-1 at Kidderminster last weekend from the one he left three months into the campaign.

He was an unused substitute for the contest but reasoned: “The team look more solid now and everyone knows what they are doing. I thought we might snatch something after the equaliser, but the lad (Scott) Burgess scored a cracker and York had the lion’s share of possession, did a good job and deserved the win.”

Despite turning 34 in April, meanwhile, David Mirfin was described as a “massive addition” to the City squad by Penn, who is also pleased to see his ex-Gateshead team-mate Paddy McLaughlin back in a red shirt.

“Mirfin’s a massive addition to the team,” Penn said of this month’s loan arrival from Mansfield. “He’s got no legs, but he doesn’t need them with (Sean) Newton, (Kallum) Griffiths and (David) Ferguson around him and (Adriano) Moke in front of him and he reads the game so well.

“You can have all the legs you want, but you can’t buy experience and that’s exactly what he gives you. With Paddy, me and Martin (Gray) tried to sign him for York last summer but, as a player, you always want to play as high as you can.

“Sometimes, though, things don’t work out. The manager at Hartlepool who brought him in got sacked and, ultimately, you want to be at a club where you feel wanted.

“He’s a very good footballer, who has got a good head on him and is a proper professional, so people will look up to him. He’s normally available every match too and is as fit as a fiddle.

“He shouldn’t be at this level in my opinion but, sometimes, you have to be happy as a footballer. His wife is from York and things like that can be important too.”

Having been in and out of the Minstermen side under previous boss Sam Collins and left out of the matchday 16 for the 4-1 home defeat to Bradford Park Avenue prior to leaving for Aggborough, Penn revealed that it wasn’t a difficult decision to leave the club he once captained in the League Two play-off semi-finals despite his attachment to the city.

“If I’m not enjoying being somewhere and don’t like working for the manager, then I won’t stay around for long, because there is no point,” he argued. “Your career as a footballer is too short not to enjoy it.

“I could have sat tight for two months and, then, been under Steve Watson, who liked me at Gateshead, but that’s football. I didn’t want to rest on my laurels and I’ve always been the type of player who isn’t happy with not playing, so the decision to leave wasn’t tough from a football point of view

“But York was my home and, coming to Kidderminster, was too far to travel every day, so I moved all my family down, which was a massive thing to do. Kidderminster was home for me originally, though, and it’s our home now, even though I still miss it up there and you never know where football will take you in the future.”

Along with fellow senior pro Jimmy O’Connor, Penn is currently assisting Kidderminster manager Mark Yates and is hoping to carve out a career in the dugout, admitting: “I want to stay in the game, and I’ve done all my coaching badges, but I’ve always been told to play as long as you can, so that hasn’t changed for me. One day, though, I’ll be on the other side of the line hopefully.

“I’ve come to Kidderminster as a player for the next 18 months and, if I can help in any other way, then great. Hopefully, we can still reach the play-offs and, then, it would be a half-successful season.”

Elsewhere, David Mirfin heads The Press Player of the Month contest ahead of today’s final February fixture.

The 33-year-old defender picked up a point towards the standings as our third-highest rated performer during last weekend’s 2-1 win at Kidderminster.

He also collected the two bonus points on offer to the player who received most man-of-the-match votes in our online man-of-the-match poll.

The other Press points went to our man-of-the-match Kallum Griffiths (three) and second-highest rated player Scott Burgess (two).

The Press Player of the Year standings: Burrow 27, Bartlett 26, Griffiths 24, Wright 14, Moke 11, York 11, Ferguson 9, Heslop 9, Penn 9, Tait 9, Bray 8, Newton 8, Parkin 6, Kempster 5, Langstaff 5, Mirfin 5, Allan 4, Burgess 4, Davis 4, Agnew 3, Bencherif 3, Digie 3, Dyer 3, Harris 3, Law 3, Hawkins 2, McAughtrie 1, Parslow 1.

The Press Player of the Month standings for February: Mirfin 9, York 7, Burrow 5, Kempster 4, Griffiths 3, Burgess 2, Law 1, Newton 1.

Goals: Burrow 17, Langstaff 5, Wright 5, Newton 4, Kempster 3, Parkin 3, Bencherif 2, Ferguson 2, Harris 2, Moke 2, Tait 2, York 2, Bray 1, Burgess 1, Griffiths 1, Hawkins 1, Heslop 1.

Assists: Burrow 9, Harris 5, Ferguson 4, Langstaff 4, Law 4, Wright 4, Parkin 3, Bray 3, Griffiths 3, York 3, Bartlett 2, Allan 1, Agnew 1, Digie 1, Dyer 1, Hawkins 1, Heslop 1, Kempster 1, Newton 1, Tait 1.

Discipline: Wright eight yellow cards; Heslop seven yellow; Newton six yellow; Moke five yellow; Bencherif, Griffiths, both four yellow; Tait one red, two yellow; Davis three yellow; Law two yellow; Penn one red, one yellow; Bray one red; Allan, Burgess, Ferguson, Hawkins, Kempster, Langstaff, McAughtrie, York all one yellow.