Former Gateshead Boss Anth Smith Takes Charge At West Auckland

NORTHERN League Division One side West Auckland Town have appointed ex-Gateshead manager Anth Smith as their new boss.

West were on the lookout for a new manager after Peter Dixon resigned last week following five years at the club in which he took them to Wembley twice in the FA Vase.

Smith’s last role was at Vanarama Conference side Gateshead who he took over in December 2012 from Ian Bogie.

He steered the club to safety but the 2013-14 season kicked off with three straight defeats and Smith decided to resign.

The former Sunderland player will be assisted at West Auckland by David Rush, who performed the same role under Smith at Gateshead.

Smith’s first game in charge will be Saturday’s FA Cup Preliminary round tie against Darlington 1883.

West general manager Stuart Alderson said: “I think we’ve made a great choice. We’ve been inundated with applications, and couldn’t interview everyone, but Anth stood out.”