Hannah Dingley to step down after Forest Green appoint new head coach

Hannah Dingley is expected to revert to her role as academy manager at Forest Green Rovers, after the club appointed the Southampton B team manager, Dave Horseman, as their new head coach.

Dingley made history this month by becoming the first woman to lead an elite English men’s team after taking interim charge of the League Two side but it is thought she was not one of the 100-plus candidates to apply to take on the role on a permanent basis.

Related: ‘I don’t want to be the first and only’: Hannah Dingley’s Forest Green dream

“I’m grateful to Hannah for holding the fort for the club while we went through the complete recruitment process and although she did not get the top job this time, it’s undoubtedly been a valuable experience and a big step on her career path,” the Forest Green owner, Dale Vince, said.

Horseman is the permanent successor to Duncan Ferguson, who was sacked at the start of this month, six months into a five-year contract. Horseman, previously head of academy at Bristol City and then under-23s manager at Watford, has been part of the coaching setup at Southampton since 2019. He helped the first-team staff on an interim basis last season.

The new head coach will be assisted by Louis Carey, the former Bristol City captain who also arrives from Southampton’s academy coaching setup.

Forest Green’s new director of football, Allan Steele, who has joined from Brentford, said: “I’m excited to welcome David and Louis to the club. David impressed us with his passion, character and eye for detail.”