Failed Stockport County stint handed club key Brighton transfer connection: View | OneFootball

It was the highlight of an otherwise troubled appointment

Simon Rusk’s tenure at Stockport County will not provoke strong memories for many Hatters fans.

But one positive that can be taken from that stint is the acquisition of midfielder Will Collar, who has remained with the club from the National League to League One.

It’s a move that likely wouldn’t have happened without Rusk’s involvement, something which deserves credit in an otherwise difficult spell.

Having tried his hand at senior management at Edgeley Park, it appears Rusk was always destined to carve his career in youth football.

Rusk was crucial to Will Collar deal

With director of football Simon Wilson in place not long after owner Mark Stott took the club over, it may be assumed that Wilson — who will have had a big say in the appointment of Rusk himself — was the key driver to get Collar at County.

However, that’s likely just one part of the overall picture, with Collar and Rusk’s pre-existing relationship undoubtedly playing a role.

The pair first met in the youth setup of Brighton & Hove Albion, with Rusk as a coach and Collar an emerging young prospect.

It didn’t quite work out for the midfielder on the south coast, and he later took a big journey north to join Scottish side Hamilton Academical.

He made just 25 appearances for his new side, but Rusk didn’t need to see anything else; he already knew what he was getting from his days at Brighton.

Collar was a highlight in an otherwise dim spell

To say Collar was a success of a signing is an understatement: he has routinely been one of the most accomplished all-round midfielders at County through the National League, League Two and League One, taking each promotion in his stride.

Having picked him up on a free, it was a deal with pure upside.

The same cannot be said of Rusk’s overall tenure at Edgeley Park.

Taking over from a club legend in Jim Gannon, whose departure came as a significant shock to County fans at the time, was never easy. That being your first foray into senior management makes it an even taller order, and Rusk’s struggles were clear from the outset.

In 42 games with the club, he won exactly half of those, dropping points in the other half and suffering nine defeats.

While it’s not the worst record on paper, it is not the form of a club that are spending significant money to get out of non-league, as County were under Stott’s investment, and the football on show left a lot to be desired.

A 2-1 loss at home to Barnet, who would go on to finish 18th that season, was the last straw.

Rusk was not short of job offers, but senior football wasn't his calling

At County, Rusk was in charge with Mark McGhee in place as a strong second in command.

With both leaving at the same time, they jumped back in at Dundee FC but with their roles reversed, a stint that saw even more struggles as they were out again after just 14 games.

That, and a short stint as set-piece coach at Nottingham Forest, have to date been Rusk’s only experiences with senior teams.

Since leaving Edgeley Park, he has had no shortage of offers, leading him to become England’s U19s manager and, at the start of the 2024/25 season, Southampton’s U21s head coach.

With a playing career that only ever took him as high as League Two, it is clear Rusk lands these postings on merit, rather than relying on his name or top-level connections. It’s clear that youth football is his calling, a role that takes particular skills and temperament.