| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Michael Hurst | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-09-25)25 September 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Sheffield, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rotherham United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–2008 | Rotherham United | 438 | (13) |
| 2008 | →Burton Albion (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| Total | 455 | (13) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009 | Ilkeston Town (joint manager) | ||
| 2009–2011 | Boston United (joint manager) | ||
| 2011–2013 | Grimsby Town (joint manager) | ||
| 2013–2016 | Grimsby Town | ||
| 2016–2018 | Shrewsbury Town | ||
| 2018 | Ipswich Town | ||
| 2019–2020 | Scunthorpe United | ||
| 2020–2023 | Grimsby Town | ||
| 2024 | Shrewsbury Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an Englishfootball manager and former player.
As a player, he was aleft back from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career atRotherham United, bar a brief loan spell withBurton Albion in his final year as a player.
After retiring from the playing side of the sport in 2008, he became joint manager with former teammateRob Scott atIlkeston Town, thenBoston United, before joiningGrimsby Town in 2011. In the2015–16 National League, he led Grimsby to promotion via theplay-offs. Hurst moved on to become manager ofShrewsbury Town in October 2016, and saved the club from relegation fromLeague One in his first season, while taking them to theEFL Trophy and League One play-off finals in 2018.
Hurst left Shrewsbury to joinIpswich Town in May 2018, but was dismissed in October after a poor start to the season. After a spell as Scunthorpe United boss, he returned to Grimsby Town as manager in December 2020. His most recent management spell was back with Shrewsbury where he re-joined in January 2024[2] before being sacked in November 2024.[3]
During his time at Rotherham, Hurst featured regularly on the left side of the back four. He played over 430 league matches forRotherham United.[4]
He featured in the team that became champions of theFootball League Trophy in April 1996, which resulted in a 2–1 win againstShrewsbury Town atWembley Stadium.[5]
Hurst signed a new two-year contract at Rotherham in 2004, keeping him at the club until June 2006.[6]
On 15 February 2008, Hurst joinedConference National sideBurton Albion on a one-month loan to regain his fitness after injury and extended the loan for a second month.[7] He was released by Rotherham after 15 years at the club, at the end of the2007–08 season.[8] In 2008, Hurst stated that he wanted to return to Rotherham as part of the backroom staff in the future.[9] Hurst had a trial atMansfield Town but turned down a move before moving into management.[10]
Hurst and former Rotherham teammateRob Scott were appointed joint managers ofNorthern Premier League Premier Division outfitIlkeston Town in January 2009 following the departure ofDavid Holdsworth toMansfield Town.[11] The pair led Ilkeston from 9th in the league to 2nd, and ultimately promotion to theConference North via the play-offs following a 2–1 victory overNantwich Town in the final.[12] Afterwards, uncertainty surrounded whether or not they would remain at the helm of theDerbyshire club due to the club's worrying financial position.[citation needed]
In May 2009, Hurst and Scott moved toYork Street to sign as joint managers ofBoston United.[13] In their first season they gained a second successive promotion to theConference North at theHorsfall Stadium with a 2–1 play-off final victory overBradford Park Avenue.[14] This completed a treble of trophies in the2009–10 season as they had already collected theNorthern Premier League Challenge Cup[15] andLincolnshire Senior Shield.[16]
On 22 March 2011, both Hurst and Scott resigned from Boston.[17] The following morning they were both announced as the new management team ofGrimsby Town, replacing the dismissedNeil Woods.[18]
Grimsby, who had suffered relegation from theFootball League in the previous season, had hoped for an instant return, but following a mid-season slump this led to the dismissal of the previous manager.[19] Hurst and Scott could only salvage an 11th-place finish at the end of the 2010–11 campaign.[citation needed] During the summer months the duo bolstered Grimsby's ranks in order for a promotion push, but were hit by a blow, as previous season's top scorer and Player of the YearAlan Connell left to joinSwindon Town.[20] The eventual signing ofLiam Hearn[21] was a suitable replacement as he scored 32 times during the 2011–12 season, a year which saw 'The Mariners' slide away out of contention for a play-off spot in the final few months of the season.[citation needed] Grimsby finished 11th in theConference National.[citation needed]
The 2012–13 season started slowly but by Christmas, Grimsby were top of the league and leading a closely contested pack ofNewport County,Wrexham andForest Green Rovers.[citation needed] On 6 January 2013, speculation about the future of Hurst and Scott atBlundell Park came into light when rumours circulating a potential move toLeague One sideDoncaster Rovers surfaced, Rovers who had lost managerDean Saunders earlier that day toWolverhampton Wanderers were rumoured to have placed Hurst and Scott on their managerial shortlist; the rumour was quashed the following day, with Hurst saying that the pair were focused on earning promotion with Grimsby.[22] Grimsby went on to reach the final of theFA Trophy, but were defeated on a penalty shootout after drawing 1–1 withWrexham atWembley Stadium. Despite leading the Conference for part of the season, Grimsby dropped off towards the end of the campaign and had to settle for 4th place, eventually losing to Newport County in the play-off semi-finals.[citation needed]
On 6 September 2013, joint manager Rob Scott was suspended due to reasons not revealed by the club, leaving Hurst in sole charge.[23] On 19 September 2013, Grimsby confirmed Scott had been dismissed for gross misconduct and that Hurst would remain in sole permanent charge.[24] On 7 January 2014, Hurst signed an improved deal reflecting the fact that he was now sole manager.[25]
Hurst oversaw an overhaul of his squad in the 2014–15 season. In his first full season in charge as sole manager, Hurst signed 7 players on free transfers, along with a total of 10 players on short term (4) and long term (6) loans.[citation needed] Grimsby started the season inconsistently, reaching 11th position with 15 matches played, but after much improvement they ended the campaign in 3rd place, six points behindConference National championsBarnet.[26]
Hurst clinched promotion with Grimsby in their 3–1 victory overForest Green Rovers in the2016 National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium, seeing Grimsbypromoted toLeague Two after a six-year absence fromthe Football League.[27][28]
Hurst made his League Two managerial debut with the club on 6 August 2016 in the opening match of the2016–17 season in Grimsby's 2–0 home victory againstMorecambe;[29] the performance led to Hurst winning theSky BetEFL Manager of the Week award.[30]
On 24 October 2016,Shrewsbury Town announced that Hurst andChris Doig were to take over the manager and assistant manager roles at the club following the departure ofMicky Mellon toTranmere Rovers.[31] Hurst was tasked with steering the club clear from the relegation places, with Shrewsbury sitting bottom of the League One table.[32] His first match in charge was a 1−1 draw away atSouthend United, ending a run of four consecutive defeats.[33] A week later, Hurst picked up his first victory as Shrewsbury manager, defeating League Two sideBarnet 3−0 in theFA Cup first round atNew Meadow in his second match in charge.[34] A point earned in a 1−1 draw away atSwindon Town lifted the club out of the League One relegation places, albeit on goal difference only, for the first time since Hurst was appointed on 7 January 2017.[35] Shrewsbury finished the campaign in 18th place, three places and two points clear of the final relegation place occupied by local rivalsPort Vale.[36]
In the2017–18 season, Shrewsbury reached theEFL Trophy final at Wembley but lost toLincoln City.[37] In the league, Hurst led Shrewsbury to a 3rd place finish in League One.[38] However, Shrewsbury lost 2–1 after extra time toRotherham United in theplay-off final.[39]
On 30 May 2018, Hurst was announced as manager ofIpswich Town. Hurst and his assistantChris Doig signed three-year contracts.[40] Upon his appointment, Hurst was keen to stress that he could work within Ipswich's £3m transfer budget as outlined in the owner's five point plan, and the club's wage bill which was the sixth lowest in the English Championship.[41][42] Under Hurst, Ipswich made a very poor start to the season, winning just one of their opening 14 games and losing on penalties to League Two sideExeter City in the EFL Cup. Hurst was dismissed on 25 October 2018 following a 2–0 defeat atLeeds United with Ipswich bottom of the table. He had been in charge for just under five months, the shortest reign of any manager in the club's history.[43]
On 13 May 2019, Hurst was announced as manager ofScunthorpe United.[44] Hurst was dismissed by Scunthorpe on 29 January 2020 after eight months in charge.[45] Scunthorpe chairmanPeter Swann said Hurst was dismissed because of non-footballing reasons and that the relationship between himself and Hurst had broken down.[46]
On 30 December 2020, Hurst andChris Doig returned to Grimsby,[47] signing 30 month contracts until June 2023 and replacingIan Holloway who had resigned seven days earlier amid talks of a potential takeover at the club.[48]
Following off the field controversies that led to the departure of Holloway and majority shareholderJohn Fenty, Hurst could not save Grimsby from relegation and the club finished bottom ofLeague Two ending a five-year spell following their last promotion under Hurst in 2016.[49] Grimsby club legendJohn McDermott in an interview laid the blame with the outgoing regime, stating "You can't blame Paul, and you can't blame the players now. Watching the games, they've had a go, but he's been given a gun with about two bullets in it. How can you fight that?"[50]
Hurst was awarded the National League Manager of the Month award for April 2022 after four wins from five across the month, boosting the club's play-off ambitions.[51] Grimsby were promoted back to theFootball League at the first attempt, with Hurst's side navigating a play-off campaign that saw them beat all three opponents in extra time, beatingNotts County 2–1 atMeadow Lane in the eliminator before a 5–4 semi-final victory away atWrexham.[52][53] In the2022 National League play-off final at theLondon Stadium, the Mariners defeatedSolihull Moors 2–1.[54]
In the2022–23 season, Grimsby advanced to the quarter-finals of theFA Cup for the first time since1939 by beatingPremier League sideSouthampton 2–1 away from home, becoming the first club in the competition's history to knock out five teams from a higher division.[55]
On 28 October 2023, following four consecutive defeats, Hurst was dismissed by Grimsby with the club in 21st place.[56]
On 24 January 2024, Shrewsbury Town confirmed the reappointment of Hurst as head coach.[38] He was dismissed on 3 November 2024 after making a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season, winning just two of 19 games.[3]
In the summer of 2008, Hurst graduated fromStaffordshire University with a degree in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting.[57]
Hurst worked forRotherham United's Community Sports Trust as participation officer.[58]
Hurst previously worked as a professional support assistant atRawmarsh Community School in 2010, combining this with his role as joint manager of Boston United.[58] Hurst completed hisUEFA 'A' Coaching Licence in January 2014, which is widely regarded as one of the highest coaching qualifications in the game.[59] He is married to Melanie and has a daughter Millie and a son Zack.[60]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Ilkeston Town (joint withRob Scott) | 15 January 2009 | 14 May 2009 | 29 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 062.1 |
| Boston United (joint withRob Scott)[63][64] | 14 May 2009 | 22 March 2011 | 75 | 45 | 16 | 14 | 060.0 |
| Grimsby Town (joint withRob Scott) | 23 March 2011 | 19 September 2013 | 132 | 59 | 38 | 35 | 044.7 |
| Grimsby Town | 19 September 2013 | 24 October 2016 | 182 | 90 | 46 | 46 | 049.5 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 24 October 2016 | 30 May 2018 | 97 | 47 | 23 | 27 | 048.5 |
| Ipswich Town | 30 May 2018 | 25 October 2018 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 006.7 |
| Scunthorpe United | 13 May 2019 | 29 January 2020 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 031.6 |
| Grimsby Town | 30 December 2020 | 28 October 2023 | 154 | 58 | 37 | 59 | 037.7 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 24 January 2024 | 3 November 2024 | 37 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 016.2 |
| Total | 759 | 336 | 192 | 231 | 044.3 | ||
Rotherham United
Ilkeston Town F.C. (1945)
Boston United
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town
Shrewsbury Town
