Frank Gregan is one of England’s most experienced non league managers with fourteen years service in the dugout. He is a former infantry Sergeant Major who served for 25 years and had completed three tours of Northern Ireland and a United Nations peace keeping tour in war torn Cyprus before his twenty first birthday.
On leaving the Army, he embarked upon a career in non-league football management and was awarded the UEFA “A” Coaching License. He managed Forest Green Rovers for five years, winning two league championships and subsequent promotions taking Rovers to the Conference Premier.
He managed Weston Super Mare for five years taking the club up two divisions to the Conference South. In between managing the two clubs he was a full time senior scout at Manchester City with responsibility for first team scouting. He led Forest Green out in the FA Trophy final at Wembley stadium and twice reached the second round of the FA Cup with non-league clubs.
But he believes his greatest achievement in football was saving Forest Green from relegation. He recalls, “We were 3-0 down away to champions Kidderminster with twenty minutes to go in the second-to-last game of the season. It was Jan Molby’s Kidderminster’s celebration party and defeat would have seen us relegated.
We got back to 3-2 and were awarded a penalty four minutes into injury time, which was converted. We went on to beat Kettering on the last day of the season and survived on goal difference! I wonder what odds that unlikely escape would have been on Betfair!”
