Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst and Lincoln manager Danny Cowley cross swords again

Two of the brightest sparks in English management will do battle at Wembley.

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Paul Hurst and Danny Cowley were Conference rivals and would share advice on opposition, signings and tactics.

Cowley, who initially crafted his trade with Concord Rangers in football’s ninth tier, won three promotions and earned a move to Braintree Town in April 2015.

Alongside brother Nicky, his No.2, they began to experience the twists and turns of non-league’s top division. Braintree, at the time, were a part-time football club.

Meanwhile, Hurst, who himself began as a boss with seventh-tier Ilkeston Town, was well-versed in the pitfalls of the Football Conference.

Cowley sought assistance in one of the division’s experienced managers. Hurst recalled how, after the pair first met in October 2015, Cowley asked for Hurst’s number.

Barely half a year later Hurst had to ask for the calls to slow down. Stop even.

The reason? Semi-pro Braintree had becomes rivals to the mighty Mariners.

The plucky Iron inflicted first-leg Blundell Park defeat on Hurst.

Grimsby were able to draw on experience to win in extra-time at Cressing Road’s humble surroundings. But Hurst was impressed with what he’d seen.

“Over the course of that season I met Danny, he took my number and phoned me a few times about teams, opposition, things like that,” recalled Shrewsbury’s boss, who is managing at Wembley for a fifth time tomorrow.

“In the end it got to a point where I was like ‘I think we should stop this now because you’re doing so well and we’re now rivals’.

“Initially I wouldn’t have thought that was the case and I’m sure Danny wouldn’t have. In the end, you don’t finish third by being lucky every week, they did extremely well.

“Credit to them. I related it almost to what we’re doing, where people felt they were going to drop away and they stayed there and finished third, an outstanding achievement from a part-time football club.

“That earned him his move to Lincoln, a full-time job, they won promotion, had that fantastic FA Cup run and are having yet another good season. “

It may bean idle link to compare Hurst and Cowley.

Hurst began with Ilkeston – with former joint-boss Rob Scott – in 2008. He is now in his 10th year as a boss and is massively proud of his management roots.

But Hurst’s sees similarities in their paths to the present – where it is suggested they are carrying out two of the finest jobs in the English Football League.

The Town chief – who was this week linked with another Championship job in Ipswich Town – added: “I think there are some similarities between us and between the teams.

“In terms of a tactical side we’re very different, but I think a lot of similarities in between that, how hard-working, our energy and those type of assets that both sets of players posses.

“I’m proud of the way I’ve managed to get to this point.

“It doesn’t mean that’s the be-all-and-end-all and I think ‘eventually I’ll get the sack’ or I put my feet up or reflect on doing an OK job.

“I want to go further if possible. Naturally you’re going to be drawn to people who have got similar stories. In Danny and Nicky they’ve got that.

“You want people to do well. When we’ve spoke about players, possible signings, you can see the work ethic and due diligence they do – something we’ve got in common.

“I think we both get to a point where we’re like ‘yeah but he doesn’t quite do this or that’ – neither of us are going to get the perfect players – but you want people to do well that are like that.

“Because there are some people in it that don’t quite put the work in.

“He’s clearly passionate about his job and so am I. We perhaps show that differently, certainly on a matchday, he’s probably a little more excitable than myself.

“I hope it can continue for both of us. We’ve both had a good...I don’t want to say start – I’ve now been a manager for quite some time and managed a lot of games that some people won’t want to look at, as in the early period, because they don’t think it’s a proper level.

“You’re still being a manager and, ultimately, I’ve been lucky it’s been successful wherever I’ve been. I want that to continue.

“He hasn’t been in touch for a while. The last time I didn’t get it and he spoke to Chris (Doig) anyway. It wouldn’t bother me.

“I remember speaking to Darrell Clark in the build-up to the (Bristol Rovers) play-off final at Wembley. It’s not going to make any difference whether we speak to each other or not.

“I think he might have a rough idea what my team might be. I have a rough idea of what his is. I don’t think there’ll be too many major surprises.”

Hurst expects a truly committed affair between his side and an in-form Lincoln, sixth in League Two. He expects tackles and work rate aplenty.

While Shrews have a physical nature, they have been at their best with a free-flowing style of football this season.

There is a suggestion that Lincoln possess threats purely in the air, from set-pieces. Hurst maintains, without being a ‘football snob’, that is a big part of their armoury. And he salutes the Imps chief for adopting a clever approach that plays to his side’s strengths. He insists City do not merely kick the ball into the box and head it into the net.

“The football purists can have their say and they’d rather see a few more passes, but they’ve had big success from playing a certain way,” said Hurst.

“But some of their set-plays are very clever. It’s not just a case of ‘kick it as high as we can and we’ll get some of our big lads to head it in’ – there’s a lot more to it than that.

“They’ve scored other set-plays that are nothing to do with heading a ball. They’re inventive. They’re very energetic. Something I will be very drawn to and appreciate.

“And they do play some football at times. But they do ask a lot of questions of you.

“No matter what people deem as Danny’s style, I’ve been to some of their games and watched enough, the fans are excited by what they’re seeing. They’re enjoying it. They like the energy they like having a committed team.

“Would they rather go away from that and see the team have 75 per cent possession, 683 passes and one shot on goal? Or would they rather see what’s happening?

“I think some people can be snobs and don’t appreciate there’s different ways of winning games of football.”

Hurst, who has sensationally turned Salop into automatic League One promotion contenders, was linked with the role of Mick McCarthy’s successor at Ipswich this week. He brushed off the rumours.

He said: “If there is any truth in it then I’d be flattered. If it’s just a rumour then why get flattered by it? We can all start rumours up.”

The boss was then asked about how his future lies beyond this summer. Does it depend on Shrewsbury completing the fairytale and achieving promotion?

“I think that is absolutely out of my control and complete pie in the sky stuff,” he answered.

“If it was a guarantee that you finish third in League One, second or first then you are guaranteed to be offered five other jobs from the league above, then you could almost be thinking ‘I might in a position to do that’,

“But it doesn’t work like that. We could get promoted and I want to build a squad here and want to achieve another miracle of staying in the Championship.

“The minute you start thinking like that you take your eye off the ball of what is important now and it will only go one way then because the players would pick up on that right away.

“I’ve got more than enough on my plate rather than worrying about things that might not happen.”