FORMER York City defender Sean Newton has opened up on the steps he has taken into management, and how he first discovered his interest in the role whilst with the Minstermen.

Newton was formerly captain of York and was voted as the supporters’ Clubman of the Year in the 2016/17 season, making a total of 159 appearances for the club.

Since his departure, Newton has gone on to take steps into management with both Buxton and now Ashton United, where he acts in a dual role as an assistant manager and player.

Newton first discovered his interest in the role whilst with City, helping with the club’s academy.

“I got a feeling for it at York,” Newton told the Non-League Paper.

“I was living in York and free so the youth team manager asked me to come along to help.

“I took them for an FA Youth Cup against South Shield and loved it.

“I must have been 30 then, it was the game that made me think ‘I need to start dipping my toe in with this’.

“I’ve always spoken to managers and sat around managers as much as I can to get a feel of what they’re about and, I know this is a buzz word, what their philosophies are.

“I’ve always tried to take something from each of them.

“I remember with England C we went away to Poland.

“Paul Fairclough said I don’t want them to make more than four passes as a team, probably because it worked, but it stuck with me.

“On the pitch you’re counting, one, two, three, oh my god they’re getting to four passes.

“They’re nowhere near your goal but you want to get the ball back so the whole team squeezes up together.

“On the night we were brilliant, we won 2-1.

“Little things like that, I’ve written down from different managers that I know would work in some way if I was ever a manager in certain situations.

“When I took over at Buxton, I did what a manager does and watched the opposition, set-up my own game plan, rang lads who weren’t playing, and were my mates, the night before.

“I just thought, I love this, this is me.

“We hadn’t won in six games, I took the team at Matlock.

“It was the Derbyshire Cup and we won, then after we had a league game against Peterborough Sports, who were flying.

“I set a game plan up that, in my head, would work. We won 3-0, and I was like ‘wow’.

“Obviously you have the lows of when you lose, you feel it totally different, especially now when I’ve played and lost and then I have to go and sit with the gaffer.

“When you’ve known you’ve not played well yourself, that’s when it’s hard.

“That’s what I am learning at the moment.”