Latest news with #JimNichols
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penrith smash six but Carlisle City come unstuck in Cumbrian derby
Penrith smashed SIX goals as they ended their wait for a first win of the season in style. Jim Nichols' side thrashed Thornaby 6-0 at Frenchfield Park in Tuesday's Northern League Division One game. Penrith, after three draws and a defeat in their initial league games, hit the goal trail in their fifth outing. Connor Shields led the way with a hat-trick in the space of 11 minutes either side of half-time, the forward scoring in the 38th minute, first-half added time and then the 49th minute. Luke Brown, Luke Hunter and Connor Hammell added further goals after the break with Penrith 6-0 up by the 63rd minute mark. The game, in front of 158 fans, saw Nichols chalk up his first win in his second spell in charge of the Bonny Blues. The victory saw Penrith move up to seventh in the fledgling table. Tuesday's Cumbrian derby, meanwhile, went the way of Kendal Town as they got the better of Carlisle City. A crowd of 255 at Gillford Park saw Kendal prevail 4-1 to end City's unbeaten start to the league season. Tom Kilifin and James Bailey scored to put Kendal in control before Callum Birdsall pulled one back for Dan Kirkup's hosts before the break. Kilifin, though, struck again after the break and after City's Tom Mahone was sent off, Josh Winder's injury-time strike completed Kendal's victory. The south Cumbrians are now second in the table with City moving down to fourth. The three Cumbrian clubs are back in league and cup action this weekend. In the league, Penrith go to Boro Rangers on Saturday and Carlisle City go to leaders Whitley Bay, while Kendal are in FA Cup action when they go to Northallerton Town in the Preliminary Round.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penrith boss Jim Nichols: Why I'm back for a second spell in charge
Jim Nichols says he believes positive times are ahead for Penrith AFC as he settles back into the manager's job for the second time. The Northern League Division One club have appointed Nichols as Darren Edmondson's successor some eight years after his previous spell. Nichols returns to Frenchfield Park after a year away from the dugout following his most recent and successful stint with Carlisle City. He said he was not angling for a return but could not say no after a positive meeting with Penrith chairman Brian 'Billy' Williams. 'It came about quite quickly,' Nichols tells the News & Star. 'I wasn't really looking to get back into football. To anyone who's asked, I've never said I wouldn't, but it would have to be the right opportunity at the right time - and this feels right. 'When Billy rang, and asked to have a discussion, I liked what he said. The direction of the club seems to be very positive. It seemed a no-brainer after speaking to the chairman.' Nichols was previously manager at Penrith from 2015 to 2017 (Image: Louise Porter) It has been a summer of comebacks in Cumbrian non-league football, with Edmondson returning to Workington Reds for a second spell following three years at Penrith – and now Nichols heading back to the club he previously led from 2015 to 2017. He does so with optimism that Penrith can move forward. 'As a club they want to progress,' Nichols says. 'I don't think they're going to spend loads of money and try to go up, but they want to move the club forward generally. 'Since the last time I was there, they've had the artificial pitch put in, and it's an unbelievable set-up at the moment. And that's a big attraction. 'There are some really good people there who really want Penrith Football Club to do well, because it's their club. And that sort of rang true with what I am as a person. 'They want to move things forward, but they want to do it the right way, and it just seemed the right fit for both of us.' Nichols brings a host of experience back to the job, having been a major figure in Carlisle City's recent rise. He led them to the Northern League Division Two title, a Fred Conway Cumberland Cup triumph and their furthest run in the FA Vase over a five-and-a-half year spell. He stepped away at the end of last season and has been reflecting on that, and taking stock, before considering what his next move might be. 'Sometimes the break's what you need,' he says. 'It's intense, and I think unless you've actually sat in the shoes of a non-league football manager, where you work all day and then your phone literally rings until you go to bed every night and every weekend, you don't realise how much it takes out of you. 'I'd done nearly six years at City, I'd had six very successful years, and it just felt at the time it was right for me to move on from there. Nichols, second right, had a successful spell with Carlisle City including a league and cup double in 2022 (Image: Ben Holmes) 'I've watched a lot of football over the last year in this league and other leagues, and sometimes it's quite nice to go to games without really caring what's happening, and just go and watch a game of football. 'But if you've been involved in football for the time that I have, you still miss those feelings on a Saturday – you miss going away on the bus, winning away from home and so on. When you've been in that competitive environment, it's hard to step fully back from it.' Nichols is, he says, ready for the all-consuming nature of Northern League management again. He is also, he believes, a more rounded operator for his years of experience. 'I think I'm a far better manager than when I was first manager at Penrith,' he says. 'Back then, I didn't really want to be a manager. The first time it came around, it was more by chance. I stepped in as caretaker, and they appointed someone else who ended up not taking the role, so it sort of fell on me by default. 'I was probably too young then. I probably didn't have enough knowledge of players locally to be able to do that role at that time, and I think I probably took everything a little bit personally in terms of results, decisions, everything else. 'I've done hundreds of games as a manager now, and I've got a far more rounded view of football and life, I think it's fair to say. And I think that makes it a lot easier to cope with the ups and downs. Because for all the ups, there's a million downs.' Penrith's 12th-placed finish under Nichols in 2016/17 remains their highest since 2009, while he guided them to the third round of the FA Vase that season. What is within reach now will depend on the new boss managing the various possibilities and limitations of a club of Penrith's size and position. 'It's a job that I'm really looking forward to, but it's also one I'm fully realistic about,' he says. 'The squad finished 17th last season, so there's obviously some improvement to be done there. The squad itself, and I spoke to most of them this week – they mostly look like they want to stay at Penrith and be part of Penrith Football Club moving forward, which is great. 'And then, it's just trying to add that little bit of extra quality in and around the squad. 'It's a long, hard league, particularly when lads have got jobs, travelling away on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to the other side of the country. It takes a lot out of players, and sometimes you just need that little bit of extra quality and extra bodies around the squad, and that's what we're going to be looking to do in the next couple of weeks.' Penrith have had a new artificial pitch at the Leo Group Stadium since the autumn of 2023 (Image: News & Star) Nichols, who has been joined by assistant Alan Inglis, believes his experience in this respect can help too, as Penrith try to source players to lift them in a challenging market. 'It's just being really clear on what players are available, seeing who's doing well in different leagues,' he says. 'Probably the three of us from Cumbria in that league [Penrith, Carlisle City and Kendal Town] are quite unique, in comparison to the rest of them, who are around Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Sunderland areas. 'That's a massive population, but you have a lot of clubs fighting for the same players – whereas we're on the flip side, not many clubs and not as many players. It's about trying to identify people who maybe aren't playing at this level, who can step up and do well. 'I'm fortunate enough to have spent the bulk of the last decade in this league with both Penrith and Carlisle City. I've probably done 5-600 games in that league, and I like to think I know it fairly well, I know what we're coming up against, and hopefully that gives us a little bit of advantage from the off.' Nichols will be on the other side of the rivalry with Carlisle City now. Penrith did the league double over their fellow Cumbrians in 2024/25, but City had the last laugh by defeating Edmondson's Bonny Blues in the Fred Conway Cumberland Cup final under Nichols' successor Dan Kirkup. Next season Nichols will come up against his former club Carlisle City, now managed by one of his earliest signings at the club, Dan Kirkup (Image: Barbara Abbott) 'Dan was my third signing for City, and probably one of the best ones I made,' says Nichols. 'I think from day one, and even probably before I signed him, I knew he was managerial material. 'I've seen him a few times when I've been to watch City this year, and it will be great to come up against him. He's a really decent guy, and one I've got a lot of time for and a lot of respect for.' As well as looking down the pyramid for local talent, having constructive relationships with those higher up the chain, such as Workington and Carlisle United, will always be important for a club like Penrith. 'That's part of being in Cumbrian football, isn't it?' says Nichols. 'There's not a lot of us, and you want to help people out as much as you can, because you know how hard it is. 'I know Darren [Edmondson], and I know Mark Birch and Steven Rudd at Carlisle, which helps. The club's got really good links as well with Carlisle United, with the use of the astroturf from time to time for training. 'I'm sure we'll lean on those links throughout the season. But at the moment, it's my priority to speak to the lads who are currently involved, and try and identify some lads who potentially could come in and strengthen us. 'Right now it's a case of speaking to them, setting out what we want to do and where we see the club going, and making sure they're on board with that. And if they're not, there may be some difficult conversations to have there. 'But that's football, that's life. Hopefully, most people buy into it, and we can have a really successful season.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Manager returns to Penrith for second spell in charge
Penrith AFC have confirmed the appointment of Jim Nichols as their new manager. He returns to Frenchfield Park for a second spell in charge of the Northern League Division One club. Nichols is the successor to Darren Edmondson after the latter left Penrith to take the helm at Workington Reds. For Nichols it is a return to the dugout a year on from his departure from Carlisle City, where he had a successful reign. He has been joined by assistant Alan Inglis as he takes charge of Penrith ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Nichols was previously Penrith boss from 2015 to 2017. In a statement, the club said: "Penrith Football Club welcome Jim Nichols and Alan Inglis to Frenchfield Park after the departure of Darren Edmondson and Richard Prokas. Nichols has joined the Frenchfield Park club after Darren Edmondson's move to Workington Reds (Image: News & Star) "They both spent five years at Carlisle City achieving promotion and impressive cup runs. "Both Jim and Alan have impressive CVs and we sincerely hope they enjoy being part of our beloved club. "Welcome lads from everyone connected to club, players, coaches, and supporters." They will take charge of a Penrith side that finished 17th in Northern League Division One last season. They also reached the Fred Conway Cumberland Cup final, losing 1-0 to Carlisle City. Edmondson had been in charge at the Leo Group Stadium for three years. At Carlisle City, Nichols had a memorable five-and-a-half seasons with the highlights included promotion and the title in Northern League Division Two in 2021/22, and success in that season's Cumberland Cup. Under Nichols, City also reached the third round of the FA Vase for the first time in their history. After leaving City last summer, Dan Kirkup stepped up as the Carlisle club's new manager. In his first season in charge City finished 18th in the table and won the county senior cup.
