Hampton & Richmond Borough have moved swiftly to replace Alan Dowson by appointing Gary McCann as their new first-team manager.
McCann has been in charge of Hendon for the past 13 years and guided the Greens to the brink of promotion to Step Two this season before his side were cruelly defeated by Dulwich Hamlet on penalty kicks in the Bostik Premier League Promotion Final.
Hampton Chairman Gary Wood told the club's official website, “Our initial thoughts on likely candidates and subsequent research put Gary at the top of our list.
“The vacancy was advertised but we knew Gary was under contract to Hendon, so we requested permission to speak to him. Permission was granted and we are grateful for Hendon's co-operation throughout the process.
“Following today's interview, we are now fully satisfied he is the right man for the job and are pleased to announce that terms have been agreed and Gary is Hampton's new manager.”
McCann is joining a club who also suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak in the play-offs. The Beavers were one game away from promotion to the National League but fell at the final hurdle, losing out to Braintree 4-3 on spot kicks.
Three days after the defeat to Braintree, then manager Dowson ended his four year spell in charge of Hampton to take up the vacant managerial position at Woking.
