Managerial duo Andy Dawson and Lee Whitehead return to struggling Maltby Main

Andy Dawson and Lee Whitehead have returned to Muglet Lane as joint managers after Jamie Smith resigned as first team boss earlier this week.

The pair had a good season at Maltby last term, leading the Miners to a solid mid-table finish in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division and to the final of the Sheffield Senior Cup – the club’s second appearance in the decider in as many years.

Dawson and Whitehead departed when new chairman Kieran Gallagher arrived last May with his own management team but his subsequent departure, and the decision of Smith to step down, paved the way for a return.

The Miners are next-to-bottom in the table, just above basement side Goole AFC on goal difference, in what has been a traumatic few months for the club on and off the field. Smith’s predecessor, Lee Thompson, resigned in October.

Some former figures, including former chairman Wilf Race, have returned to add some stability to the set-up and to try and get the team moving again and there is a new chairman in Kieron White.

Maltby thanked Smith for his efforts, acknowledging it had been a difficult period right from the start of the season for all.

Smith said his decision to resign was the right decision for himself and the club and thanked all the players that stuck by him.

Main said in a statement that the swift decision to appointed Dawson and Whitehead was “unanimous”, adding: “We all feel they are the best fit for right now and the future.

“The very hard work to complete the season with some form of relevant success to where we are starts again now.”

The returning duo's first game in charge is at home to third-placed Thackley on Saturday. Main’s last league win was in October and they are without a win in 12 matches in league and cup.