Graham Westley
Graham Neil Westley is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a striker.
An England youth international, Westley's playing career was spent largely in non-League football before being curtailed by injury. He began his managerial career at Kingstonian in 1996 at the age of 28, before taking charge of Enfield for the 1997–98 season. In 1999, he acquired a controlling interest in Farnborough Town and appointed himself manager, leading the club to promotion to the Football Conference in 2001. He transferred his shareholding and departed Farnborough in January 2003 to take up the vacant managerial position at Stevenage Borough. Stevenage reached the 2005 Conference National play-off final but were defeated, and Westley left the club a year later. He then had a three-month spell at Rushden & Diamonds, as well as four matches as caretaker manager of Kettering Town in 2007.
Westley rejoined Stevenage in May 2008, earning his first managerial honour at national level when the club won the 2009 FA Trophy final. The following season, he guided Stevenage to the Conference Premier title, securing promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's history. In his first season as a Football League manager, he led the team to a second successive promotion via the play-offs. He left for Preston North End in January 2012, though was dismissed just over a year later in February 2013, returning to Stevenage the following month for a third spell until May 2015. He spent most of the 2015–16 season managing Peterborough United and had a five-month spell at Newport County the following season. He was subsequently appointed head coach of Barnet in January 2018, before returning to Stevenage for a fourth time, serving a two-month spell from December 2019.
Early life
Born in Hounslow, London, Westley left school at the age of 16 to pursue a career in football. He briefly undertook an accountancy course, which he did not complete. His grandfather had founded the J&D Organisation in the 1940s, a company providing services to building contractors. Westley joined the business at 19 and, by 1997, was managing it alongside his football career. During this period the company's turnover increased from £1 million to £20 million and its workforce expanded from 50 to 700 employees.Playing career
Westley began his footballing career as an apprentice with Queens Park Rangers at the age of 16. He represented England at youth level, earning one cap for the under-17 team at the Tournoi Juniors in Cannes in April 1985, and another for the under-18 team in September of the same year. He signed for Gillingham in March 1986, making two Third Division appearances before joining Barnet. He made his Barnet debut in a 2–2 draw against Macclesfield Town at Moss Rose and scored one goal in three appearances during his time there.Westley joined Wycombe Wanderers in the latter part of 1987 for a fee of £7,500, marking his debut with a goal in a 2–1 away victory against Telford United. He scored in each of the club's next two matches and established himself as a regular on the left wing until the departure of manager Peter Suddaby in January 1988. Under Suddaby's successor, Jim Kelman, Westley made one further appearance before moving to Kingstonian. In total, he made 24 appearances for Wycombe in the 1987–88 season, scoring five goals in all competitions.
He subsequently represented a number of non-League clubs, including Kingstonian, Wealdstone, Farnborough Town, Harlow Town, Enfield, Aylesbury United, Harrow Borough, Tooting & Mitcham United, Molesey and Walton & Hersham, three of which he later managed. He scored 33 goals and was named Player of the Season at Enfield during the 1990–91 season, before joining Aylesbury United in December 1992 in exchange for Darren Collins. While at Kingstonian, he suffered a dislocated ankle and a triple leg fracture, an injury that ultimately curtailed his playing career.
Managerial career
Early management
While recovering from a broken leg, at the age of 28 in December 1996, Westley was appointed manager of Kingstonian after approaching the club about their vacant managerial position. His first two matches in charge both ended in 4–4 draws, against Walton & Hersham and Harrow Borough respectively, with Westley later stating: "at the time, there was something raw and exciting about the team that I sent out. Although there was also something evidently missing". His first victory as manager came in a 2–0 victory against Wokingham Town in the Isthmian League Cup, followed by his first league win in the subsequent fixture, a 5–2 victory away to Aylesbury United. Kingstonian ultimately drew clear of relegation, with Westley recalling a 3–2 win over champions Yeovil Town at Huish Park as a "memorable victory". Despite guiding Kingstonian to safety, he was dismissed after five months and replaced by Geoff Chapple. He managed the club for 25 matches, recording nine wins, eight draws and eight defeats.In September 1997, Westley was appointed as manager of Enfield, another club for which he had previously played, then competing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. He named Graham Pearce as his assistant, who had also previously played for and managed the club. Despite Enfield's financial difficulties, Westley outlined his ambition to return the club to the top tier of non-League football, stating: "my ambition is to see silverware in the table, and if you can't take the pressure, you shouldn't take big jobs like this one". His first match in charge was a 2–0 home defeat to St Albans City. Enfield finished in seventh in Westley's first season, and he left the club after nine months in charge. He managed the team for 41 matches, recording 19 wins, 16 defeats, and six draws, with a win percentage of 46.34%.
Farnborough Town
In 1999, Westley acquired a controlling interest in Farnborough Town and appointed himself as manager. He led the club to a 12th-place finish in his first season and enjoyed success in the Isthmian Cup, winning the competition in 2000. In the following season, Farnborough won the Isthmian League Premier Division, securing 31 victories from 42 matches and accumulating 99 points. Westley overhauled the squad shortly after the club's promotion to the Football Conference, which he later described as a "huge regret". At this point, he also attempted to arrange a merger with Kingstonian, citing the club's Football League-rated ground as the reasoning behind his proposal, although it ultimately did not happen due to fan resistance.During the 2001–02 season, the club consolidated its position in the first tier of non-League football, finishing in seventh place in the league. In the following season, Westley managed the club to the third round of the FA Cup after a 3–0 victory at Southport, where they faced Darlington at Feethams. They won the match 3–2 and the club was drawn at home to Arsenal in the fourth round. The match was moved to Highbury, Arsenal's home stadium, as the tie was expected to generate £600,000 in gate receipts from playing there, whereas staging the match at Cherrywood Road would have yielded the club an estimated £50,000. Westley departed the club after the sell-out 'home' tie at Highbury, which they lost 5–1. Shortly after his resignation, he became manager at Football Conference club Stevenage Borough in January 2003, signing a three-year contract. Westley confirmed he would be transferring his shareholding in Farnborough to other existing shareholders and would also be withdrawing his financial backing from the club. Upon moving to Stevenage, Westley said, "I've enjoyed my time at Farnborough, but I feel that I need to move on now and that I need to concentrate on football management, which is where my ambitions lie". He also stated that Stevenage's "long-term potential" was another key factor behind the move.
Stevenage
When Westley took over the Hertfordshire club, Stevenage were positioned in 21st place in the Football Conference and six points adrift of safety. Westley was appointed as first-team manager, with no board involvement. With the initial objective of keeping the club in the highest tier in non-League football, he signed seven players from his previous club, Farnborough, as well as his former assistant Graham Pearce, and goalkeeping coach Graham Benstead. His first match as manager of the club was a 1–1 draw at home to Morecambe on 13 February 2003, before earning his first win as Stevenage manager in his third match, a 2–0 victory away to local rivals Barnet on 8 March 2003. The victory served as the catalyst for an eight-match unbeaten run, which included six consecutive victories and ensured the club avoided relegation, finishing the season in 12th place. Stevenage finished in eighth position during the 2003–04 season, Westley's first full season.As was the case in previous seasons, Westley made wholesale changes at the end of the season, releasing several of the players he had originally signed from Farnborough and replacing them with a combination of players with Football League experience, as well as players recruited from further down the non-League pyramid. Westley also provided first team opportunities to players who had progressed through the club's youth system, including George Boyd. The new squad lost five of the opening eight matches of the club's league season. Following a 4–1 home defeat to part-time Canvey Island, and with Stevenage supporters calling for Westley's departure, he walked across the pitch to the East Terrace and told supporters he "would turn it around". The team responded with four consecutive victories. Stevenage entered the final day of the season needing to beat already-relegated Leigh RMI and also relying on Tamworth to avoid defeat against Morecambe, who were occupying the final play-off position. Stevenage defeated Leigh 2–0, while Tamworth held Morecambe to a goalless draw, meaning Stevenage had qualified for the play-offs. They overcame second-placed Hereford United 2–1 on aggregate before losing 1–0 to Carlisle United at the Britannia Stadium in the final.
The 2005–06 season marked Westley's third season as manager of the club. Although the team were consistent at Broadhall Way throughout the season, they did not replicate this form away from home, winning four away matches all season. There were also questions surrounding the discipline of the squad under Westley's management, as Stevenage received 14 red cards during the season, more than any other club in the league. A 2–0 defeat away to relegation-threatened Forest Green Rovers on the final day of the season meant that Stevenage failed to reach the play-offs, finishing sixth in the league table. Following this, Westley confirmed in May 2006 that he would leave the club when his contract expired in June, ending his three-and-a-half year tenure with the Hertfordshire club.