Thornaby FC’s joint-managers Craig Skelton and Simon Kasonali at Teesdale Park
Thornaby FC’s new management team, Craig Skelton and Simon Kasonali, took charge of their first training session on Tuesday night before revealing: “We are hungry for success at Teesdale Park.”
The joint-managers already face a significant challenge to turn the club’s season around, with the Blues sitting second bottom of Ebac Northern League Division One after 12 matches.
But the duo – knowing there are only five points separating Thornaby from tenth – is excited by the ambition shown by the club’s board and sponsors to become a major force in non-league football.
Skelton, 45, and Kasonali, 52, have been joined by former Grangetown and Stokesley boss James Hunter, who will operate as assistant, and they have their first test this Saturday with the season’s longest trip to Carlisle City.
The pair’s managerial journey began five years ago at Redcar Newmarket in the North Riding League. There, they built a talented young squad and led them to back-to-back league and cup doubles, with just a single defeat in two years.
Such success caught the attention of Marske United after suffering off-the-field problems. They successfully kept the club in the Northern League Division One, finishing 14th out of 22 teams.
Now the focus is on ensuring Thornaby bring an end to an 11-game winless streak.
Skelton said: “Kas and I have been out of management since the end of last season when we left Marske United. It has been a tough few months and we have been looking to get a chance again.
“We feel there is unfinished business. As soon as the opportunity came up, we wanted to put ourselves in the frame.”
Skelton highlighted the club’s ambition as a key factor in their decision.
He said: “The sponsors are openly saying they want Thornaby to be the biggest Northern League club in this area, and we are so excited by that. We hopefully will play a big part in making that happen.
“But at the moment, we are second bottom for a reason, and the only way is up. It is tight down there, so you only need two or three victories and you are comfortably mid-table.
“We want to secure Division One status and finish as high as we possibly can, then next season kick on again after a better start.”
Skelton, a former forward, played for Darlington and Marske United, among other teams. In his younger professional days, an injury prevented him from making a move to Celtic.
Kasonali, a former centre-midfielder, is a Marske legend, having played more than 500 games for the club. He also played for England after success with Redcar Workingmen’s Club in the FA Sunday Cup.
He said: “I am looking forward to this fantastic challenge at Thornaby, it will be an adventure and we want to be successful.
“The important thing is stability and consistency. We have identified where we want to improve and we are looking to strengthen quickly.”
Kasonali – who says he is the quieter of the two, while both having huge passion in picking the team together – is confident that with hard work, Thornaby can achieve its targets.
“This is a proper challenge,” he said. “But it is a realistic target to keep Thornaby up this season. It will be hard work, but it is achievable. The club is moving forward, and we have to be part of it.
“Thornaby is a big place, bigger than many might think, and it’s a club with a nice ground with plenty of potential too. Having met the committee and the board, I know the drive is there to move forward – it’s exciting for us to be part of.”
Photo: Riley Sjogren @ Thornaby FC
