Ex-Toon star Matty Pattison steps into management at Whickham

Former Newcastle United star Matty Pattison is the new manager of Northern League Whickham.
Pattison – who was unveiled on Monday – has brought in former Sunderland star John Oster as his number two after they played together at Gateshead.
The 33-year-old midfielder also had spells with Norwich City, Gateshead and Blyth Spartans during his playing career.
Pattison had been in temporary charge since the departure of Robin Falcus two weeks ago after eight years at the helm of the Tyne and Wear club.
He is in his second spell at the Northern League Division One’s Lang Jacks and both he and Oster are taking their first steps into management at the Glebe Sports Ground.
The rookie boss told the club’s fans it was an “easy decision” to make and is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity,” he told the club’s website. “There’s a lot of buzz around the place. The club wants to go places, so it’s a fantastic start for me in terms of management.
“I know the club pretty well now. I know what it’s about and where it wants to go. For me, it was an easy decision in the end, when I’ve sat down and thought about it.”
Oster, who made 13 appearances for Wales, kicked off his career with Grimsby Town before going on to have spells with Everton and Sunderland.
In 2005, he moved to Burnley before a three-year stay with Reading, where he helped the Royals gain promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 2006.
After a short spell with Crystal Palace, he went on to make over 100 appearances for Doncaster Rovers. Oster finished his career, after a season with Barnet, in the North East with Gateshead.
Oster said: “I’ve been out of football for three or four years now and never really thought about going back in and trying the coaching side of things.
“I heard that Patta got the job and he sent me a message asking if I’d be willing to give it a go. I came over, spoke to him and everyone involved and thought ‘why not’.”
Image courtesy of @WhickhamFC/Twitter