GRAHAM FENTON has crossed over the River Tyne, leaving North Shields to take over as joint-boss of local rivals South Shields.
Fenton, a League Cup winner with Aston Villa as a player in 1994, has joined to replace Jon King alongside South Shields' former assistant boss Lee Picton.
King was shockingly sacked on Sunday after five years at the helm despite the club winning their last four games in a row.
He led South Shields to promotion to the Northern League Division One last season and they currently sit third but the Mariners have moved to replace him, saying “with the medium to long-term future in mind, the club felt that this course of action was necessary”.
They moved quickly to appoint a local face in Fenton, luring him away from their rivals North Shields. Fenton stepped down as North Shields boss on Monday following four-and-a-half years in charge, to make the move to Mariners Park.
During his time north of the river, Fenton led North Shields to Northern League Division Two promotion as well as winning the FA Vase at Wembley in 2015.
He has decieed to move on, however, to ambitious South Shields who have been boosted in recent years by the investment of millionaire Geoff Thompson.
They also have former Middlesbrough and Sunderland midfielder Julio Arca in their ranks, alongside ex-Gateshead stars Craig Baxter, Ben Clark and Jon Shaw.
In a statement, Fenton said: “I would like to express my gratitude to all the committee members at North Shields FC for giving me the opportunity to manage a club with such a great history.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey we have been on together over the past four-and-a-half years. The memories I will take with me will stay forever.
“I am looking forward to the next chapter in my managerial career across the river at South Shields FC. I am really excited at the opportunity which has been presented to me, and as I have at North Shields, I will be giving it everything I've got to make it succeed.
“Hopefully I will be welcome back at North Shields FC in the future and I might even come to watch some games from the Curva Nord. From the bottom of my heart I wish everyone at NSFC every success for the future.”
