Today we feature Dave Edwards who made the transition from a player to manager. As a player he only made just over 120 appearances, scoring 9 goals, but went on to manage the side nearly 500 times.
Dave was born in Willesden, London on 4th September 1947 and represented Willesden Boys before moving to Harlow as a 14 year old. After representing the Harlow Minors League, his uncompromising play at the centre of defence soon came to the attention of Bishop’s Stortford, whom he joined when he was 17.
Dave had two spells as a player, his first came to the club in season 1969-70, however this was short lived as he moved to Hertford Town midway through that season. He later went on to play for Stansted and Saffron Walden Town, where he won an Essex Senior League Championship medal. After a short spell with Hoddesdon Town, Dave returned to the club at the start of the 1975-76 season.
This time Dave spent four years with the club and in that time was a member of the side that walked away with the Isthmian League Division One title in 1978-79 and also lifted the Essex Senior Cup. In 1976-77 Dave was voted Supporters Player of the Year and then the year later picked up the main Player of the Year Trophy.
At the end of the 1978-79 season Dave left the club and had a brief spell with Hoddesdon Town before being offered the managerial job at Stansted. Stansted were traditionally one of the weaker sides in the Senior League but Dave soon got to work in transforming their fortunes. In 1983-84 Stansted had their most successful season ever, winning the FA Vase at Wembley as well as three other trophies. After one more season at Stansted Dave was lured to the club to take over a side that had just been relegated from the Premier Division and was struggling financially.
It was hoped that Dave could inspire the team for another quick return to the Premier Division, however the reality was that the budget was slashed even further and with four teams being relegated we were drawn into the drop zone and found ourselves plying our trade in the Division Two North the following season. It would have been easy for Dave to walk away at this stage but he stayed with the club and set about putting a side together to climb back up the leagues. The re-building soon paid dividends as under Dave’s leadership the club won the Division Two North championship, the East Anglian Cup as well as featuring in the first round of the FA Cup and the final of the Knight Floodlight Cup.
Throughout Dave’s time as manager the finances were tight but somehow we had the knack of luring some quality players to the club. Jeff Wood, who broke the club’s scoring record was just one. Other names that spring to mind are Paul Battram, Martin St.Hilare and of course it was Dave that first brought Marc Salmon to the club as a teenager.
When the club didn’t compete during the 1992-93 season Dave worked tirelessly, along with others, to get the club back up and playing again. Thankfully we did manage to survive and Dave was once again the manager as we started life again, albeit in Division Three. At the start of that season we had only a handful of players good enough for that level, inheriting many players from our new chairman’s former club Woodford Town. Over the coming months Dave attracted better players to the club and we ended up missing promotion by a solitary point. At the end of that season the then chairman Georgio Di Benedetto, who wanted to bring in his friend, former Leicester City player Len Glover, regrettably sacked Dave. History shows what a bad move this was by the chairman. Glover, in all honesty didn’t have a clue at this level and the club went backwards, recruiting the quality of player that Dave had inherited when we first started playing again at the beginning of the previous season.
After leaving the club Dave went on to manage at Saffron Walden, Bishop’s Stortford, Bromley, Ware and Hertford Town. Dave had shown so much passion for the job during his years at Harlow, something that he never quite emulated elsewhere.
Dave still lives in the Town and has no involvement with football, although he is still an occasional visitor to Barrows Farm.
Dave was born in Willesden, London on 4th September 1947 and represented Willesden Boys before moving to Harlow as a 14 year old. After representing the Harlow Minors League, his uncompromising play at the centre of defence soon came to the attention of Bishop’s Stortford, whom he joined when he was 17.
Dave had two spells as a player, his first came to the club in season 1969-70, however this was short lived as he moved to Hertford Town midway through that season. He later went on to play for Stansted and Saffron Walden Town, where he won an Essex Senior League Championship medal. After a short spell with Hoddesdon Town, Dave returned to the club at the start of the 1975-76 season.
This time Dave spent four years with the club and in that time was a member of the side that walked away with the Isthmian League Division One title in 1978-79 and also lifted the Essex Senior Cup. In 1976-77 Dave was voted Supporters Player of the Year and then the year later picked up the main Player of the Year Trophy.
At the end of the 1978-79 season Dave left the club and had a brief spell with Hoddesdon Town before being offered the managerial job at Stansted. Stansted were traditionally one of the weaker sides in the Senior League but Dave soon got to work in transforming their fortunes. In 1983-84 Stansted had their most successful season ever, winning the FA Vase at Wembley as well as three other trophies. After one more season at Stansted Dave was lured to the club to take over a side that had just been relegated from the Premier Division and was struggling financially.
It was hoped that Dave could inspire the team for another quick return to the Premier Division, however the reality was that the budget was slashed even further and with four teams being relegated we were drawn into the drop zone and found ourselves plying our trade in the Division Two North the following season. It would have been easy for Dave to walk away at this stage but he stayed with the club and set about putting a side together to climb back up the leagues. The re-building soon paid dividends as under Dave’s leadership the club won the Division Two North championship, the East Anglian Cup as well as featuring in the first round of the FA Cup and the final of the Knight Floodlight Cup.
Throughout Dave’s time as manager the finances were tight but somehow we had the knack of luring some quality players to the club. Jeff Wood, who broke the club’s scoring record was just one. Other names that spring to mind are Paul Battram, Martin St.Hilare and of course it was Dave that first brought Marc Salmon to the club as a teenager.
When the club didn’t compete during the 1992-93 season Dave worked tirelessly, along with others, to get the club back up and playing again. Thankfully we did manage to survive and Dave was once again the manager as we started life again, albeit in Division Three. At the start of that season we had only a handful of players good enough for that level, inheriting many players from our new chairman’s former club Woodford Town. Over the coming months Dave attracted better players to the club and we ended up missing promotion by a solitary point. At the end of that season the then chairman Georgio Di Benedetto, who wanted to bring in his friend, former Leicester City player Len Glover, regrettably sacked Dave. History shows what a bad move this was by the chairman. Glover, in all honesty didn’t have a clue at this level and the club went backwards, recruiting the quality of player that Dave had inherited when we first started playing again at the beginning of the previous season.
After leaving the club Dave went on to manage at Saffron Walden, Bishop’s Stortford, Bromley, Ware and Hertford Town. Dave had shown so much passion for the job during his years at Harlow, something that he never quite emulated elsewhere.
Dave still lives in the Town and has no involvement with football, although he is still an occasional visitor to Barrows Farm.
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