Teddy Sheringham was as cool as ever in his first game as a Football League manager. The dark suit was no surprise except that the sun was beating down on Broadhall Way. As a centre-forward from 1983 to 2008 and Millwall to Colchester via Tottenham and Manchester United, where he won everything going, he was an unruffled model of calm and vision while the play hurtled round him. After 10 minutes he did shed the jacket, perhaps in deference to dress-down Saturday. Otherwise, standing outside the Stevenage dugout, he was as still as he had been on the field and, for the moment, rather less influential. Notts County, with an impressive following of over 1,000, deservedly won 2-0.
It was little surprise. Relegated to League Two in May, they have splashed out on 18 players. Their Dutch manager, Ricardo Moniz, had six games to save them in spring and five points proved not enough. “It’s about revenge for last season,” he said before Saturday, “and having that fiery mentality.” For Sheringham it was, indeed, a baptism of fire. Moniz conducted from the touchline as if it was the climax of a Beethoven symphony.
By contrast Stevenage, beaten in last season’s play-off semi-finals in Graham Westley’s third spell as manager, have halved their budget. Phil Wallace, the chairman, said: “Starting again requires patience from us all but it needed doing if we wanted to change the philosophy. The club is committed now to producing its own talent.”
Where Westley liked players who reflected the hardwoods surrounding the stadium, Sheringham will promote a more thoughtful, skilled approach. Last season, returning unobtrusively to football after a six-year sabbatical, he loosened up West Ham’s attack.
Between times he had been on the poker circuit, so he knows a gamble when he sees one and respects Stevenage for taking a chance on him. He thought he would be back sooner but is happy that the time is right now. Before the match he said: “All eyes will be on me for two minutes maybe,” summing up his feelings as: “Excited, raring to go and a few butterflies.”
There were a few too many. Beyond the half-hour, with Stevenage crowding forward, County, wearing their third colours in case two sets of stripes were too confusing, broke swiftly. The 5ft 8in Liam Noble, deep in his own half, swung a long ball to Jon Stead on the right wing and the early cross found Curtis Thompson rushing in alone: 1-0 to a small blue, hairstreak and skipper.
Stead, at 32, is surely too good for League Two. Last season, on loan from Huddersfield to Bradford City, he bewildered Chelsea’s defence in a startling FA Cup victory. Here he led County’s line as Sheringham led lines of old – using upper body strength to hold the ball, weighing up possibilities and finding runners. His close control, too, is smart and late-on he turned away from his marker, curled a shot to the far corner and saw Mawouna Amevor tuck the ball in as Chris Day palmed it out.
Stevenage as yet have no such leader. They matched County’s 4-3-3 formation with a fluid 4-5-1, with the 18-year-old Dipo Akinyemi from their academy making a promising debut on the right, but Roy Carroll, by three years the younger of the two goalkeepers at 37, enjoyed an easy afternoon in the sun. For the most part they looked solid in defence, with eager full-backs in Fraser Franks and Jerome Okimo either side of Mark Hughes and Dean Wells, but the midfield did not often match their industry with penetration against County’s organisation. Indeed Stevenage’s best chances came from set pieces – corners to the near post for nodding on, an old Sheringham speciality, and huge throws from Charlie Lee, who used to clean his now gaffer’s boots at Tottenham.
Through the second half Sheringham played his three-sub trick and Tom Hitchcock, on a month’s loan from MK Dons, added potency to the attack. Sadly they may not see much of it. In added time he and Amevor chased a ball into touch between the dugouts and emerged in an aggressive tangle. Both were sent off. Sheringham, at 49, knows about Hitchcocks and late drama. He barely stirred. “Handbags,” he said later.
He was undismayed by the result, too. “County are probably one of the best teams we’ll play this year,” he said. “There’s a lot of optimism in my camp.” Like County, he is no stranger to the fourth tier. In 1985 he went on loan to Aldershot. “I never got a kick,” he said, “except from the opposition.” He has a knack of making it in time but, of course, he never did anything in a hurry.
