Boston United parted company with manager Graham Coughlan, following a goalless draw against relegation-rivals Braintree Town at the weekend, but who could they turn to next?
The Pilgrims are currently 17th in the National League table, but have only recorded two wins in their last 17 matches across all competitions and haven’t necessarily built on their ‘great escape’ last season.
Via a club statement on Sunday, it was revealed that Boston United had parted company with Graham Coughlan, a week on from his interview claiming their poor form wasn’t a ‘Graham Coughlan’ problem and instead it’s a ‘club problem’.
With his departure in mind, here are four possible options for the club to consider next…
Andy Whing:
Following his dismissal from League Two side Barrow, Andy Whing is currently out of work and could be seen as a strong candidate for the club moving forward.
Whing had excellent win percentages in Non-League with both Banbury United and Solihull Moors, reaching a play-off final and an FA Trophy final with the latter in his debut season.
After an impressive start to the following campaign, Whing took on the role at Barrow in League Two, but despite some memorable results against the likes of MK Dons and Notts County – their recent form led to his exit.
Throughout his managerial career, Whing has a win percentage of 47% across over 250 matches. Similarly, he has worked in similar club sizes to Boston United and will know how to win football matches. This is exactly what Boston need at present, with the club free-falling towards another relegation battle.
Mark Kennedy:
One option Boston United could find themselves considering in the coming weeks is a familiar face to the Lincolnshire area, with former Imps boss Mark Kennedy as well as his assistant Danny Butterfield.
The duo have worked together at the likes of Macclesfield Town and Lincoln City, with Kennedy also having a recent stint with Swindon Town.
From the three roles Kennedy has had, his most famous one was his spell at Lincoln in League One which lasted between May 2022 and October 2023. During this time, he managed over 70 matches and won 25 of those.
Boston have recently opted for managers with EFL experience, which Kennedy has. But also, Kennedy has experience of the local area and is already likely to be familiar with Boston United to a small degree.
Paul Hurst:
Speaking of both familiarity and EFL experience, one candidate that stands out on paper is 51-year-old and former National League promotion winner Paul Hurst.
Hurst managed Boston United in ‘joint-management’ circumstances back in 2009 alongside former teammate Rob Scott. In their debut season, they guided the club to promotion to the Conference North (now National League North) before resigning in 2011 to move to Grimsby Town.
He had a win percentage of 60% during his spell at Boston United and has since gone on to manage some big clubs including Ipswich Town and Scunthorpe United.
However, Hurst has been out of action since his time at Shrewsbury Town came to an end in November 2024. For Boston’s likening, Hurst has won Manager of the Year in League One and has won the National League play-offs with Grimsby, proving he has the experience and know how to get results at this level.
Jimmy Dean:
If Boston United fans want a ‘left-field’ suggestion, former Scunthorpe United manager Jimmy Dean could be a name that creeps onto their shortlist.
Dean is currently the manager of Southern League Premier Central (seventh tier) side Spalding United, who are currently top of the table and nine points clear of their nearest competitors.
The 43-year-old was manager of Scunthorpe United in the National League during the 2022/23 season and the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign. He won 28 of his 63 matches in charge but wasn’t able to guide the club to promotion back to the fifth tier which led to his exit.
He is currently impressing with Spalding United and has previous National League experience. Though this would be the biggest risk on this list, he’s currently the only one in work and impressing currently whilst the others may need time to adapt.
Boston United fans, what are your thoughts on these suggestions?