Former Lincoln City midfielder Neil Redfearn has returned to management, taking charge of Durham Women for the remainder of the season.
The 60-year-old will oversee the final six matches of the Women’s Super League 2 campaign, stepping in following an internal reshuffle at the club. Durham are ninth in a table of 12, but all four of the bottom sides are locked together on 14 points, putting them in the middle of a big relegation battle.
Redfearn, a familiar name to many older supporters, had a brief and turbulent spell in charge of Farsley Celtic earlier this year, but has quickly secured another opportunity in the dugout. Durham confirmed he will lead the side through the closing weeks of the season, bringing in a coach with decades of experience across both the men’s and women’s game.
Redfearn the player
Before forging a long coaching career, Redfearn built his reputation as a goalscoring midfielder across the lower leagues, including a spell with City during the mid 1980s. He played for City the day of the tragic Bradford Fire Disaster, and represented the club 114 times in all competitions, bagging 14 goals. He’s one of just six players to have played exactly 100 times in the Football League, along with the likes of Tony Lormor, Francis Green and Terry Branston.
He would go on to become something of a Football League stalwart, racking up close to 800 appearances and earning a reputation for reliability, leadership and an eye for goal from midfield. His most notable playing years came with Barnsley, where he captained the side and played a key role in their rise to the top flight in the late 1990s. However, his time with the Imps came earlier in that journey, part of a career that saw him represent a wide range of clubs and establish himself as one of the most experienced professionals of his generation.
Redfearn coaching
Redfearn transitioned into coaching while still playing, and that path eventually led him into senior management. He took on caretaker and permanent roles at Leeds United on multiple occasions before landing a Championship job with Rotherham United in 2015. That spell proved short-lived, but it underlined the level he had reached within the game.
In more recent years, he has carved out a niche in the women’s game. He guided Doncaster Rovers Belles to the WSL 2 title in 2018, and has also held roles with Liverpool Women and Sheffield United Women, as well as working in academy football with Leeds and Newcastle United.
More recently, he was in attendance as the Imps beat Bradford City 3-0, broadcasting as a co-commentator, but now finds himself back in the dugout for the last few matches of a frantic season for The Wildcats.
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