Andy Hessenthaler
Encyclopedia
Andrew "Andy" Hessenthaler (born 17 August 1965 in Dartford
, Kent
) is an English football manager and former player, currently in his second spell as manager of Gillingham
. Hessenthaler began his career in non-league football
and did not turn professional until he joined Watford
at the age of 26. In 1996, he joined Gillingham
and spent the next ten years at the club as player and later player-manager, managing the club to its highest ever finish in the English football league system
and becoming regarded as a legend of the Kent club. After leaving Gillingham, he had a short spell at Barnet
before joining Dover Athletic
in 2007. In his two seasons in charge he led the club to successive championships, of Isthmian League Division One South and the Isthmian League Premier Division. After three years at Dover, he became manager at Gillingham for the second time.
. He later joined Fawkham
-based amateur team Corinthian
, but Charlton Athletic
took him on in 1983 on a non-contract trial basis. He failed to secure a contract with the club, however, and returned to playing on a part-time basis while working as a builder
. In 1986, he was spotted by Dartford
manager Peter Taylor while playing in a Kent Senior Cup
match. Hessenthaler signed for his hometown club on a wage of £40 per week, the first regular income he had ever received for playing.
Hessenthaler spent four years at the club, during which time Dartford reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy
on two occasions and finished twice as runners-up in the Southern League
. In 1990, he was called up to the England National Game XI, the national team for semi-professional players. Later that year, he moved on to Redbridge Forest
, where he spent one season and helped the team win the Isthmian League
championship.
, Hessenthaler was signed by the Hertfordshire
club for a transfer fee of £65,000 at the beginning of the 1991–92
season. He opted to make the move even though becoming a full-time professional player would mean taking a drop in earnings compared to what he was making combining semi-professional football with building work. His professional debut was against Everton
in the Football League Cup
on 24 September 1991, and, despite having made a move of four divisions up the English football league system
, he immediately established himself as a regular at Vicarage Road
, making 35 Football League
appearances in his first season. In five seasons with the Hornets, he made 217 appearances in total, scoring 14 goals, and also served as the team's captain. Watford fans voted Hessenthaler as runner-up for the club's Player of the Season award in four consecutive seasons between 1991 and 1995, and fondly remember him for his workrate and all-round ability. He was one of the club veterans selected to represent Watford in the 2006 London Masters football
event, where he was named "Player of the Tournament".
season, shortly after Watford's relegation
from the First Division
, Hessenthaler signed for Gillingham
for £235,000, a record fee at the time for the club. He quickly became a key player at Priestfield Stadium
. In the 1998–99
season, he returned to his best form, and he played in the Gills' first ever match at Wembley Stadium. This match was the final of the play-offs
against Manchester City
, which Gillingham lost after a penalty shoot-out. Shortly afterwards, Gillingham manager Tony Pulis
, who had signed Hessenthaler, was dismissed from his post. He was replaced by Peter Taylor, who appointed Hessenthaler as player-coach
. In his first season in this new role, he was once again a regular in the Gillingham team, making a total of 47 appearances as the club recorded its highest position to date in the English football league system
and best ever run in the FA Cup
. Although the cup run came to an end with a 5–0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea
of the Premier League, Hessenthaler's high-energy performance prompted Chelsea chairman Ken Bates
to joke that he had been keen to sign the player until he discovered to his surprise that he was 35 years old (although Hessenthaler was in fact only 34 at the time). Gillingham once again qualified for the play-off final, with Hessenthaler making his second appearance at Wembley as the Gills beat Wigan Athletic
3–2 after extra time to secure promotion
to the Football League First Division
for the first time in the club's history.
, and Hessenthaler was appointed player-manager. In his first season in charge, he guided the club to a thirteenth place finish while continuing to play regularly. A serious leg injury sustained in an FA Cup
match against A.F.C. Bournemouth
in January 2001 kept him out for the remainder of the season but did not prevent him being selected for the Football League's Team of the Season. Despite many of the club's rivals having greater budgets available with which to sign and pay players, the team finished the 2001–02
season in twelfth place and the following season in eleventh place in the First Division, Gillingham's best ever finish in over seventy seasons in the Football League
. During the 2003–04
season, however, the Gills' fortunes declined, and the team only avoided relegation on goal difference
after holding Stoke City
to a draw in the last match of the season. As the team continued to struggle at the start of the following season, club owner Paul Scally
reiterated his confidence in Hessenthaler but brought in former Swindon Town
and Wycombe Wanderers
manager John Gorman
to assist him. The following month, with no significant improvement in the team's fortunes, Hessenthaler tendered his resignation.
He remained at the club as a player but was rarely selected for the team, and in January 2005, he went on loan to Hull City
, where he was reunited once again with Peter Taylor. He made ten appearances for Hull, who gained promotion to the Football League Championship
(the new name for what had been previously been called the First Division), while Gillingham were relegated from the same division. He returned to the Gillingham team at the start of the 2005–06
season and made a further 17 appearances, the final one in a 3–0 home win against Port Vale
on 10 December 2005. At forty years and four months of age, he was the oldest player ever to represent the club. He rounded out his Gillingham career by returning to Priestfield Stadium
for a testimonial match in July 2006. He is widely regarded as a club legend by Gillingham fans, who in 2005 voted him the team's best ever player in a local radio poll, and he was also named Gillingham's greatest ever player by the Professional Footballers' Association
in November 2007.
strugglers Barnet
on a short-term contract until the end of the season. Although he considered retiring at the end of the season, he was persuaded by manager Paul Fairclough
to sign a new contract for a further year. In October 2006, he was named in the League Two team of the week, but at the end of the 2006–07
season, Barnet announced that his contract would not be renewed.
Shortly after his departure from Barnet, Hessenthaler was appointed manager of Dover Athletic
of the Isthmian League First Division South. In his first season in charge, he played regularly, making over 30 appearances as he led the team to the championship of the division and promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. The following season he led the team to a second consecutive championship as Dover won the Isthmian League Premier Division title to gain promotion to Conference South
. In the 2009–10
season, Dover reached the play-offs for promotion to the Conference National
, but lost at the semi-final stage to Woking
. Hessenthaler, at the age of 44, announced his retirement as a player after the match.
On 20 May 2010, Hessenthaler resigned as Dover manager, and the following day, he became the manager of Gillingham, who had just been relegated to Football League Two
, for the second time.
, but never played professionally. He is married to Nikki and has two children, Jake, who is a youth player with Gillingham, and Jasmine. His brother-in-law, Darren Hare
, is the youth team manager at Gillingham. He is the director of a sports and social club in Gillingham
.
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
) is an English football manager and former player, currently in his second spell as manager of Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
. Hessenthaler began his career in non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
and did not turn professional until he joined Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
at the age of 26. In 1996, he joined Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
and spent the next ten years at the club as player and later player-manager, managing the club to its highest ever finish in the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
and becoming regarded as a legend of the Kent club. After leaving Gillingham, he had a short spell at Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
before joining Dover Athletic
Dover Athletic F.C.
Dover Athletic Football Club is an association football team based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club was formed in 1983 after the dissolution of the town's previous club, Dover, whose place in the Southern League was taken by the new club...
in 2007. In his two seasons in charge he led the club to successive championships, of Isthmian League Division One South and the Isthmian League Premier Division. After three years at Dover, he became manager at Gillingham for the second time.
Non-league career
As a teenager, Hessenthaler played for the youth team of his local club DartfordDartford F.C.
Dartford F.C. are an English football club based in Dartford, Kent. After finishing as champions of the Isthmian League Division One North in the 2007–08 season, they compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division. They finished in 8th position in their first season...
. He later joined Fawkham
Fawkham
Fawkham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the north-east of Sevenoaks town. The main village in the parish is Fawkham Green. The railway station now called Longfield was originally called Fawkham.The 12th century parish church is...
-based amateur team Corinthian
Corinthian F.C. (Kent)
Corinthian Football Club is an English association football club formed in 1972 at Hartley in Kent by a millionaire builder named Ron Billings, mainly to give his sons a club to play for. The club fielded an adult side which played at the Gay Dawn Farm sports complex and enjoyed a sudden short...
, but Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
took him on in 1983 on a non-contract trial basis. He failed to secure a contract with the club, however, and returned to playing on a part-time basis while working as a builder
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
. In 1986, he was spotted by Dartford
Dartford F.C.
Dartford F.C. are an English football club based in Dartford, Kent. After finishing as champions of the Isthmian League Division One North in the 2007–08 season, they compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division. They finished in 8th position in their first season...
manager Peter Taylor while playing in a Kent Senior Cup
Kent Senior Cup
The Kent Senior Cup is an English football competition played between senior clubs in the county of Kent. It is administered by the Kent County Football Association.-History:...
match. Hessenthaler signed for his hometown club on a wage of £40 per week, the first regular income he had ever received for playing.
Hessenthaler spent four years at the club, during which time Dartford reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
on two occasions and finished twice as runners-up in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
. In 1990, he was called up to the England National Game XI, the national team for semi-professional players. Later that year, he moved on to Redbridge Forest
Redbridge Forest F.C.
Redbridge Forest F.C. was an English football club, founded in 1989. The club came into being by a merger between Leytonstone/Ilford and Walthamstow Avenue, though the merged clubs played one season under the original name....
, where he spent one season and helped the team win the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
championship.
Watford
On the recommendation of Peter Taylor, who was by now assistant manager of WatfordWatford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, Hessenthaler was signed by the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
club for a transfer fee of £65,000 at the beginning of the 1991–92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
season. He opted to make the move even though becoming a full-time professional player would mean taking a drop in earnings compared to what he was making combining semi-professional football with building work. His professional debut was against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
on 24 September 1991, and, despite having made a move of four divisions up the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
, he immediately established himself as a regular at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
, making 35 Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
appearances in his first season. In five seasons with the Hornets, he made 217 appearances in total, scoring 14 goals, and also served as the team's captain. Watford fans voted Hessenthaler as runner-up for the club's Player of the Season award in four consecutive seasons between 1991 and 1995, and fondly remember him for his workrate and all-round ability. He was one of the club veterans selected to represent Watford in the 2006 London Masters football
Masters football
Masters football is a 6 a-side indoor football competition in the United Kingdom, where players over the age of 35 are chosen by the Masters Football Selection Committee to represent a senior club which they played for. Regional heats are held, and the winners of each go forward to a national...
event, where he was named "Player of the Tournament".
Gillingham
At the end of the 1995–961995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
season, shortly after Watford's relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, Hessenthaler signed for Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
for £235,000, a record fee at the time for the club. He quickly became a key player at Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
. In the 1998–99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
season, he returned to his best form, and he played in the Gills' first ever match at Wembley Stadium. This match was the final of the play-offs
Football League One play-offs
The Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....
against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, which Gillingham lost after a penalty shoot-out. Shortly afterwards, Gillingham manager Tony Pulis
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard "Tony" Pulis is a Welsh former football player and is currently the manager of Stoke City. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at the age of 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him one of the youngest professional players ever to have obtained the qualification...
, who had signed Hessenthaler, was dismissed from his post. He was replaced by Peter Taylor, who appointed Hessenthaler as player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
. In his first season in this new role, he was once again a regular in the Gillingham team, making a total of 47 appearances as the club recorded its highest position to date in the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
and best ever run in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. Although the cup run came to an end with a 5–0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
of the Premier League, Hessenthaler's high-energy performance prompted Chelsea chairman Ken Bates
Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC from 1982 until 2003....
to joke that he had been keen to sign the player until he discovered to his surprise that he was 35 years old (although Hessenthaler was in fact only 34 at the time). Gillingham once again qualified for the play-off final, with Hessenthaler making his second appearance at Wembley as the Gills beat Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
3–2 after extra time to secure promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
for the first time in the club's history.
Player-management
Immediately after guiding Gillingham to promotion, Peter Taylor left to manage Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, and Hessenthaler was appointed player-manager. In his first season in charge, he guided the club to a thirteenth place finish while continuing to play regularly. A serious leg injury sustained in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
in January 2001 kept him out for the remainder of the season but did not prevent him being selected for the Football League's Team of the Season. Despite many of the club's rivals having greater budgets available with which to sign and pay players, the team finished the 2001–02
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
season in twelfth place and the following season in eleventh place in the First Division, Gillingham's best ever finish in over seventy seasons in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. During the 2003–04
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
season, however, the Gills' fortunes declined, and the team only avoided relegation on goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
after holding Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
to a draw in the last match of the season. As the team continued to struggle at the start of the following season, club owner Paul Scally
Paul Scally
Paul Damien Phillip Scally is a London-born businessman who has been the chairman of association football club Gillingham since 1995.-Career:...
reiterated his confidence in Hessenthaler but brought in former Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
and Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
manager John Gorman
John Gorman (footballer)
John Gorman is a Scottish former football player and coach. He is currently Assistant Manager at MK Dons in the English League One....
to assist him. The following month, with no significant improvement in the team's fortunes, Hessenthaler tendered his resignation.
He remained at the club as a player but was rarely selected for the team, and in January 2005, he went on loan to Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, where he was reunited once again with Peter Taylor. He made ten appearances for Hull, who gained promotion to the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
(the new name for what had been previously been called the First Division), while Gillingham were relegated from the same division. He returned to the Gillingham team at the start of the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
season and made a further 17 appearances, the final one in a 3–0 home win against Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
on 10 December 2005. At forty years and four months of age, he was the oldest player ever to represent the club. He rounded out his Gillingham career by returning to Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
for a testimonial match in July 2006. He is widely regarded as a club legend by Gillingham fans, who in 2005 voted him the team's best ever player in a local radio poll, and he was also named Gillingham's greatest ever player by the Professional Footballers' Association
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
in November 2007.
Subsequent career
On 19 January 2006, Hessenthaler signed for League TwoFootball League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
strugglers Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
on a short-term contract until the end of the season. Although he considered retiring at the end of the season, he was persuaded by manager Paul Fairclough
Paul Fairclough
Paul Fairclough is the current manager of the England C national football team, formerly known as the National Game XI, England non-League team or the England semi-pro team, and in charge of youth development at Barnet having been caretaker for two months in 2011.As a player he made five...
to sign a new contract for a further year. In October 2006, he was named in the League Two team of the week, but at the end of the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season, Barnet announced that his contract would not be renewed.
Shortly after his departure from Barnet, Hessenthaler was appointed manager of Dover Athletic
Dover Athletic F.C.
Dover Athletic Football Club is an association football team based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club was formed in 1983 after the dissolution of the town's previous club, Dover, whose place in the Southern League was taken by the new club...
of the Isthmian League First Division South. In his first season in charge, he played regularly, making over 30 appearances as he led the team to the championship of the division and promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. The following season he led the team to a second consecutive championship as Dover won the Isthmian League Premier Division title to gain promotion to Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
. In the 2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
season, Dover reached the play-offs for promotion to the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, but lost at the semi-final stage to Woking
Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the...
. Hessenthaler, at the age of 44, announced his retirement as a player after the match.
On 20 May 2010, Hessenthaler resigned as Dover manager, and the following day, he became the manager of Gillingham, who had just been relegated to Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, for the second time.
Managerial statistics
As of 26 November 2011| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Gillingham | June 2000 | November 2004 |
|||||
| Dover Athletic | July 2007 | May 2010 |
|||||
| Gillingham | May 2010 | present |
|||||
| Total |
|||||||
Personal life
Hessenthaler's mother died in 1991, shortly before his first professional match. His father was an aspiring footballer and was at one time on the books of ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, but never played professionally. He is married to Nikki and has two children, Jake, who is a youth player with Gillingham, and Jasmine. His brother-in-law, Darren Hare
Darren Hare
Darren Hare is an English former footballer turned coach, currently working as youth team manager at Gillingham F.C.Born in Canterbury, he began his career playing for the youth teams of Dover and Gillingham and went on to play for a number of Kent-based non-league teams, including Canterbury...
, is the youth team manager at Gillingham. He is the director of a sports and social club in Gillingham
Gillingham, Kent
Gillingham is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. The town includes the settlements of Brompton, Hempstead, Rainham, Rainham Mark and Twydall....
.