Big Interview: Danny Cowley on why he left Concord Rangers for Braintree Town

The former Beach Boys manager was unveiled as the new boss of the Conference National outfit on a two-year deal on Thursday, after the departure of Alan Devonshire last month.

And having led Concord from the Essex Senior League to the Conference South since taking over in 2007, winning three promotions and six trophies including the Essex Senior Cup two weeks ago, it will have come as little surprise to many that Braintree have looked to Cowley to continue their own recent rise to the top-tier of non-league football.

The news broke last Thursday lunchtime, in what was a manic week for Cowley.

Although he reveals the first he knew about Braintree’s interest in him came on Monday.

“I got a call from Lee Harding (Braintree chairman) after Concord had given permission to them to speak to me and arranged to go in the following evening where I met club representatives,” he said.

Cowley was offered the job following the interview and he admits it has been a whirlwind ever since.

The 36-year-old has been inundated with messages from well-wishers ever since, and says he has been left quite overwhelmed by the amount of support he has had – although it has led to some late nights.

“After the news broke on Thursday it was mad. I met the Braintree players that evening and that went on to 11pm before I had a board meeting that finished around 2am. By that point I had 233 text messages and calls to reply to!

“But I replied to every one of them, got to bed about 4.45am before getting up at 6.15am for work. But it is a fun and exciting time.

“I had a lot going through my head as Concord have come a long way in eight years and it has a very special place in my heart along with the people there. To achieve three promotions in that time in football terms in outstanding and the club is in a strong place.

“Not many managers get to leave a club on a high, but I am doing that after eight wonderful years I can look back on with pride.

“It is on firm foundations and it is run very well. I have absolutely no doubt that Concord Rangers will continue to have success. Two cogs in Nicky and myself have left but the wheel will keep turning.

“But I didn’t want to look back with regret having not taken this chance. I felt the time was right.”

Balancing act – both Danny and Nicky Cowley are also PE teachers at FitzWimarc School and love their jobs there

Cowley, head of PE at Rayleigh’s FitzWimarc School, said it was important that his brother Nicky made the move to Cressing Road with him, having been his number two at the Beach Boys since last summer.

“We work well together,” he said. “You are only as strong as the people around you. Nicky was an outstanding player for Concord Rangers and he is an equally outstanding coach.

“I trust him with my life and I know together we are a good team that can take Braintree forward.”

And the challenge is one that Cowley cannot wait to get stuck into. Since their promotion as Conference South champions in 2011, Braintree have caused quite a stir in the Conference.

Alan Devonshire took over after they were promoted, and their 14th placed finish this term was their lowest since they joined the league four years ago, having finished only three points off the play-offs at the end of the 2014 campaign.

Cowley admits he had already watched five DVDs of Braintree matches within 48 hours of taking the job, as well as seeing the Irons play on several occasions this season.

But, despite that success, Cowley believes he is the man to take the club on to even greater heights.

Fresh-faced – Danny Cowley at Concord in 2010

“Braintree have enjoyed great success since they were promoted from the Conference South,” he said.

“They had no right to get here and my predecessors have done a great job. They are a part-time club in a full-time league and the fact they have done as well as they have speaks volumes for the management and players.

“I had the pleasure of meetng the players on Thursday although I know a lot about them already. It was more about listening when I spoke to them. About what they want, how they feel and any questions they wanted answered.

“For me, I am trying to work out what we have in terms of resources and equipment and the situation with playing and backroom staff. Once I have assessed that I will be able to make plans about where this team can go.”

The former Beach Boys chief says he was drawn to the job as he saw similar aspects that were prevalent at Concord, and he said it was a great step for him, as he has now managed at all five steps of the non-league pyramid.

“The clubs are similar,” said Cowley, who turned down the chance to manage Chelmsford City in 2013. “They have both overachieved and are both extremely well run. They are also relatively small clubs in relation to the level they are playing at and I love a challenge.

“It is a natural fit for me. As difficult as it was to leave Concord, it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

“It means I have managed at all five levels and it means I can continue to juggle my work and the football. It won’t be easy at Braintree but I have been brought up on hard work and that is intertwined with success and that drives me on.

“We enjoy great success at FitzWimarc and I am very proud of that. I see football management and teaching as vocations and I love them both.

“You only get one life and I want to make the most of mine.”

Despite leaving Concord, Cowley is positive his old employers will continue to make positive strides.

And with more than 40 applicants contacting chairman Antony Smith within 48 hours of Cowley’s departure, it appears that the lesser-known Beach Boys have certainly made their mark in recent years, as they reached the first-round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history this season as well as advancing furthest in the FA Trophy.

“People told me time and time again that Concord have gone as far as they can go, only for them to go further,” said Cowley. “No-one gave us a chance but I never believed I couldn’t take the club on and I never will believe that in any walk of life. If you can better the process you can better the outcome and that was the case at Concord, and I want that to be the case at Braintree.”

Cowley says he spoke to the Concord players shortly after making the decision and says they will always be ‘his boys’.

“They have been fantastic,” he said.

“They are Concord Rangers players and they understand my decision.

“Although they were my players, they were always more than that. We are a family and they are my boys.

“We still have a presentation night and I look forward to it very much.”