Harry Harris set to raid Walsall Wood in his quest to rebuild Hednesford Town

Following a 2-1 defeat to City of Liverpool last Saturday, Hednesford announced the departure of manager Danny Glover, assistant Dan Crane and the coaching staff as the side remain rooted and rock-bottom of the Northern One West relegation zone.

Harris resigned from his position at Wood on Tuesday, and is hoping to lead Hednesford back up the table and to the glory days they’ve experienced before.

The 34-year-old said: “I want to be a part of their journey of getting back to where they should be.

“I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.

“I wouldn’t take the job if I didn’t believe in myself and my management staff and the players.

“People have said to me, Walsall Wood are the same level and 10th, and in the first round of the FA Trophy. I’m proud to say I can leave them in that position, because when I took over they were 15th at step five.

“It’s a challenge but one I really want to tackle and it’s one that I’m confident of turning around.

“I had a chat with Hednesford chairman Hayden Dando on Monday. His ambitions match mine. He explained about the club which is going in the right direction and the plans he’s got there.

“You only have to look at the ground and see the support they get, that excites me on its own.”

Harris played and captained Walsall Wood during his seven-year spell as a player at the club before taking on the management role and leading the side to step four and promotion last season, winning the Midland Premier League.

Asked if it’s likely we will see players from his reign at Walsall Wood follow him to the Pitmen he said: “Being totally honest, yes you will.

“I let the players know on Tuesday night that I was resigning. Some of the lads looked gutted but their first question to me was ‘am I part of your plans’.

“That’s music to my ears, that’s what I want to hear, and hopefully we can get some of them sorted.”

It was still hard for Harris to say goodbye to the Wood after turning down an opportunity at step three just weeks ago.

“It was tough, but at the end of the day I’ve got to do what’s right for myself and Hednesford is a step in the right direction in my career,” said Harris.

Adding: “I didn’t jump at the first opportunity that came along. I’ve waited my time and I was concentrating on Walsall Wood, but when the approach came from Hednesford it really got me excited.”

It’s unknown whether former manager Danny Glover is seeking a new position, but Harris has set out his goals with Hednesford as they welcome Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday saying: “Short-term we’ve got to go and give it everything we’ve got on Saturday and get three points.

“We want to try and push up the table and get ourselves safe, and as soon as we can do that we can start having a look at the season after and preparing for then.

“The players budget and staff budget has been there all season. The club behind the scenes is improving every day. If it was unstable I wouldn’t be leaving Walsall Wood to take the job.

“Everything’s running smoothly upstairs, and set up for me to step in and have a good go.”