| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1962-10-12)12 October 1962 (age 63) | ||
| Place of birth | Kirkby,[1] England | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1982 | Kirkby Town | ||
| 1983–1984 | Burscough | ||
| 1984–1985 | Marine | ||
| 1985–1988 | Southport | 89 | (49) |
| 1988 | Runcorn | 6 | (1) |
| 1988 | Macclesfield Town | 11 | (1) |
| 1988–1989 | Rhyl | ||
| 1989–1990 | Witton Albion | ||
| 1990–1996 | Morecambe | ||
| 1996–1997 | Lancaster City | ||
| 1997–1999 | Ashton United | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1997–1999 | Ashton United | ||
| 1999–2012 | Accrington Stanley | ||
| 2012–2013 | Rochdale | ||
| 2013–2014 | Southport | ||
| 2014 | Sligo Rovers | ||
| 2014–2024 | Accrington Stanley | ||
| 2025 | Gillingham | ||
| 2025 | Waterford | ||
| 2025– | Aldershot Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Coleman (born 12 October 1962) is an Englishfootballmanager and former player. He is currently manager ofNational League clubAldershot Town.
Coleman had a long playing career, mainly innon-league football forKirkby Town,Burscough,Marine, Southport,Runcorn F.C. Halton,Macclesfield Town,Morecambe,Lancaster City andAshton United. He also had a short spell in Wales withRhyl. He was one of the most prolific non-league goalscorers in history, with over 500 goals to his name in a career spanning almost two decades. This success saw him play for theEngland National Game XI (the England team for semi-professional players) and receive many Player of the Year awards from the clubs he played for.
Coleman is ranked fifth on Southport's list of highest goalscorers of all-time.[2]
He was appointedplayer-manager of Ashton United in 1997. After two years, he joinedAccrington Stanley then playing in theNorthern Premier League First Division. His12+1⁄2-year tenure saw the club win three promotions as champions to enterthe Football League in 2006. He was also the club's longest ever serving manager. At the time of his departure to Rochdale, Coleman was the third longest serving manager in England, behindSir Alex Ferguson andArsène Wenger.
On 24 January 2012, Coleman and his assistant Jimmy Bell were appointed byRochdale to replaceSteve Eyre, who had left the club the previous month.[3] Their contracts were terminated by Rochdale on 21 January 2013 following a poor run in form.[4] In October 2013, Coleman declared his interest in replacingDave Hockaday as manager ofForest Green Rovers,[5] but returned to Southport as manager on 7 December 2013, with Jimmy Bell once again as his assistant.
He took over as manager ofSligo Rovers in June 2014.[6]
On 18 September 2014, Coleman was confirmed as manager ofAccrington Stanley for his second spell with the club.[7] In the2015–16 season, Coleman led Accrington to a 4th place finish, missing out on automatic promotion on the final game of the season by goal difference.[8] In the play-offs, Accrington lost toAFC Wimbledon after extra time in the semi-finals.[8] In the2017–18 season, the club won the League Two title to reach the third tier of English football for the first time in the club's history.[9][10] His achievement earned him theEFL Manager of the Season award for 2017–18.[11]
They were relegated to League Two at the end of the2022–23 season.[12] On 3 March 2024, Coleman was sacked by Accrington the day after a 4–0 defeat toWrexham with the club in 16th position.[12] At the time of his departure, he was the longest-serving manager purely in the EFL having been in charge for 9 years and 6 months.[12] Across his two spells with the club, Coleman was in charge for 1,098 matches.[12]
On 5 January 2025, Coleman was appointed manager of League Two sideGillingham on a short-term contract until the end of the season.[13] On 25 March 2025 Coleman left his position as Gillingham manager[14] after achieving just 2 wins in 14 games and leaving Coleman with the lowest win ratio of any permanent manager in the club's history.
On 3 May 2025, Coleman was appointed manager ofLeague of Ireland Premier Division clubWaterford.[15] He departed the club on 28 September 2025, following a 2–1 defeat toShelbourne, having won just 5 of his 20 matches in charge of the club.[16]
On 24 October 2025, Coleman was appointed manager ofNational League clubAldershot Town.[17]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Ashton United | 1 August 1997 | 1 May 1999 | 91 | 53 | 21 | 17 | 058.24 |
| Accrington Stanley | 1 May 1999 | 23 January 2012 | 587 | 236 | 148 | 203 | 040.20 |
| Rochdale | 24 January 2012 | 21 January 2013 | 52 | 14 | 14 | 24 | 026.92 |
| Southport | 7 December 2013 | 3 May 2014 | 25 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 032.00 |
| Sligo Rovers | 21 June 2014 | 18 September 2014 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 046.67 |
| Accrington Stanley | 18 September 2014 | 3 March 2024 | 511 | 200 | 128 | 183 | 039.14 |
| Gillingham | 5 January 2025 | 25 March 2025 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 014.29 |
| Waterford | 3 May 2025 | 28 September 2025 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 025.00 |
| Aldershot Town | 24 October 2025 | Present | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 000.00 |
| Total | 1,321 | 525 | 333 | 463 | 039.74 | ||
Individual
Accrington Stanley
Individual