Sean Tynan’s time in charge of Harwich and Parkeston will come to an end on Saturday – the first-team manager announced recently that he is stepping down after what will have been 122 games at the helm.
Sean and assistant boss Gary Kioussis sat down to discuss that decision and their near-three-year spell together at the Oak. Here’s what they had to say…

The obvious first question is why have you decided to step down?
ST: Pretty much purely personal reasons. A lot of people don’t realise how much is involved. At work (as a civil engineer), I’m currently dealing with a £30million contract in Bishop’s Stortford – that’s one of the reasons. I’m also now a granddad – and there’s another grandchild on the way! On top of that, I’m a foster carer and we currently have a two and a three-year-old with us. I’ve also had my bungalow for eight years now and still haven’t finished doing it up! There’s not a lot of time away from football. At the moment, it’s pretty much full time. I want to step away and recharge the batteries and see in the future what comes along.
GK: Work (as a financial analyst for a shipping company) is becoming quite demanding given the climate at the moment. I turned 60 in June and I’ve been doing football for over 35 years in some capacity, either managing or coaching. I think we both felt it was the right time to give something back to our partners and family.

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Some people would have felt that the January appointment of Matt Carmichael as joint manager was a sign you were on your way. What can you say about that?
ST: It’s true but not in the way some will think. Me and Gary had been speaking for a while about if we were to hand the reins over it would need to be at the right time to the right person and decent for the club to be in the best position to do that. Matty was in a position to do the job. We spoke to Michael Clarke (U23s manager) and he (Matt) went in there to start off with, helping with the U23s. We then spoke to Matty about potentially joining us later on and monitored him in the U23s. We felt at a certain point in the season, with us both knowing we’d be stepping away, to bring Matty in get to know the players was a good thing to do to ensure some continuity – that was the next step for him becoming manager. We obviously spoke to Tony (Armstrong, chairman). He did try to talk us out of it (leaving)! Matt has been at the club before and knows how important it is to attract local players – the budget is small compared to the majority of clubs in the division. Matt will get that.

How would you assess your entire spell at the club (Sean and Gary joined forces at the Oak in September 2021)?
GK: When we linked up again (they were previously together at Little Oakley), one thing that we always said was the importance of the club as a whole. There’s now a thriving U18s team, and the U23s side is the envy of the area. Tony runs a very tight ship, quite rightly, but the club has now got some of the best young talent in the area with the likes of Liam White, Alfie Canning, Ben Sargeant and Charlie Stoneley. They are coming into a unit of lads who have given everything.
ST: I couldn’t have been happier (at how it’s gone). When we took it on, the aim was not to get relegated. We were third or fourth bottom and, if I’m honest, had some disastrous results early on. But we turned it around and finished a very respectable 13th – I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
The second season, more local lads came in and wanted to play for ourselves and the club. To finish fourth was absolutely unbelievable. We had some fantastic runs and unbeaten spells. Joe (Knight) played a full season up front and flourished as we won a play-off place. We obviously won the semi-final on penalties and in the final played, in my personal opinion, the best team in the league in Downham Town. We had injuries, illness etc, but they fully deserved to go up – and they’ve showed that as they could finish sixth in the Premier Division this season.
This season we haven’t made the play-offs but we had bad injuries with Joe Knight going out in pre-season and then the man we brought into replace him, Harry Miller, also breaking his leg. Luke Mayhew stepped up in terms of goals and if we win on Saturday we could finish sixth – that’s a fantastic season again. We’ve blooded four or five under-20 players who in the next few years could be phenomenal for Harwich and Parkeston.
It's been fantastic to work with some of the people at the club – Gary, Glenn (Eldridge), Colin (Rogers), Tony (Shaw), Terry (Francis), Danny (McLaughlin). Some of them have said ‘these have been some of the best times we’ve ever had down at the club’. It’s about getting memories for people to enjoy and I think we’ve done that.

How will it feel at your final game on Saturday?
GK: It was always my dream to be involved with Harwich at management level and it’s lasted three years. It will be extremely emotional for me but I’ve ticked a box off my bucket list – I’m extremely proud to have worn the black and white. Even when I was at Little Oakley, I was always Harwich through and through. I’ll be a little bit sad on Saturday but also happy because I’ve achieved something.

What have been the highlights of your time at the club?
ST: Definitely the play-off semi-final (at Framlingham) – that was massive for us. Also, the win over Haverhill Borough when we were 3-0 down at half time. There are so many – we went 10 games unbeaten (last season) which at this level is amazing. Giving Joe the opportunity to play up front is also something which I look back on, too.
GK: Off the field, having Steve Foley help us with the training. He was a legend in my eyes when I was younger and to see him coach our team… wow! Also, seeing the smiles on people’s faces in the club and seeing supporters wanting to chat – that’s what I do it for. There had been so many bad years with people grumping and groaning but now – and I’m not saying it’s down to me and Sean – everybody has got that freshness, wanting to push the club on. Every club we go to seems to describe Harwich as a sleeping giant. Well, maybe we’ve just tickled its belly a bit!

OK, so on the flip side, any regrets?
ST: Like any team, we’ve had some bad results but I don’t have any regrets. It’s been so positive and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

Final question – what’s next for you both? An advisory role at the club has been mentioned…
ST: I’m going to have a little bit of time out with the family. I will get back involved in football at some point, no doubt about it. It would be lovely to work alongside Gary again but he’s got a lot more going on than me, really. Tony said he would like me to be involved at Harwich and Parkeston. If there’s something there after a certain amount of time, I could take that up.
GK: I did say I could help out in some capacity but first I need a break. Then I can see what I am able to do to support the club. First of all, I’m going to enjoy the summer without having to chase players to sign up and listen to all the stories about how a club has offered them £200 per game!

This interview will appear in Saturday's matchday programme, which will also include our final look back at a famous Royal Oak match - the 1976 FA Trophy clash with Weymouth, who included former England star Jeff Astle - plus columns from both Sean and chairman Tony Armstrong.