On Sunday the club announced that Neil "Nizza" Hope would be taking over the new Reserves team. The team will be playing in the Lincolnshire Football League and are one of three new senior aides joining Borough.

We started by asking Neil who is is, "Easy going, can take a joke and enjoys the banter. Firm but fair good listener and not afraid to give feedback good or bad. Liverpool and Grimsby supporter football mad. Played for a number of local teams over the years both Saturday and Sunday. Experienced cup and league wins and played for some influential managers along the way. "

"First experience of managing came in the 2011/12 season for Humberston 2nds after being convinced by the legendary Mike Woodford (Former Humberston boss and Prem Div Winner) it was the right thing to do. Finished 2nd in Div 4 and gained promotion to Div 3. It was from there were we decided to go on our own and form Cleethorpes United playing from the Linden homes club for the season of 2012/13. We finished runners up that year to Cleethorpes Town but achieved a record 11 clean sheets and were the top goal scores in the division. We also made the Q/F of the cup."

"2013/2014 was most memorable winning a league (Div 1) and cup double. Undefeated in the league and reached the Q/F of the lincs cup and narrowly lost in the semi final of the Snr cup to the eventual winners."

"2014/2014 promoted to the premier division and reaching another semi final of the Snr Cup.
2015/2016 after a really challenging season, player injuries and rebuilding etc managed to keep the club afloat and avoid relegation with 3 games spare."

Although Neil is new to Grimsby Borough it turns out that he's well aware of the club, "I’m a bit of a statto when it come to football. I know everything from the formation of the club in 2003, the ground sharing days that led us to be nicknamed as the wilderness boys… It’s an honour to be serving the club and I would also like to thank the club for providing me with this opportunity."

Neil has a great pass record in local football but knows which part of his game he wants to bring to Borough, "I guess to sum it up in one word I’d say opportunity. There’ll be players in and around this area that my feel it’s always been a closed door or so to speak. I’ll be looking to unlock that thought process. Youth players now have a clear path to a very good standard of football, that being the entry level to the football pyramid. The doors are firmly open and the opportunity to progress will be open to all should they wish to take it."

The club are preparing for a huge senior season this year with more teams competing at senior level than ever before. This makes it a tougher job than ever due to the massive amount of communication required, "Obviously were all going to be on the same page we’ve already held dialogue prior to which I must say they’ve all made me feel very welcome…. which reminds me… Thomo if you're reading this where’s my yellow kit? No, joking aside I need to cater for Bazza and Andy, whether thats to be another pair of eyes and provide feedback or recommendations for players moving up, or players moving down from the first team. Whether that’s just for them to regain fitness or provide minutes on the pitch. Likewise I’ll be working in tandem with both Shaun and Gordon to see where we are with players from the U18 and development squads. I’ll certainly be casting my eye over all sections of the youth setups."

"It’s fundamental that all departments are in regular contact to discuss player progress as we all work towards the ethos of the club. We all have a responsibility and duty of care to all our players to make sure their comfortable and enjoying their football at the right level for them and us."

As a man well respected in local football it's clear Neil will be bringing some top local players in to join him but is he giving us any names? "I always keep my cards close to my chest until there’s ink on the dotted line. What I will let slip is that one or two are raw talents but no doubt will keep the fans on there feet. In other areas some my raise a few eyebrows and certainly have the abilities to be plying there trade at a higher level. It’s certainly not a closed shop either one or two maybe come available that we wasn't expecting."

"Naturally there’s a dossier of players I’ve worked with and witnessed playing over the years that I’m keen to bring to the football club to help aid the progression and most importantly that fit in with what the whole club is trying to achieve. I’ve been around the training ground and trails games over the last few months and have been encouraged with some of the talent already available through the youth sections. First and foremost thats testament to the current coaches at all levels that have been developing these young players right through the system. Those who know me best or have either played or worked with me prior will be well aware that I’m a firm believer that if you're good enough, you're old enough. It’s my job to make sure the younger players transition into the senior section is seamless. From there we’ll look to develop mental, physical and tactical aspects as the goal for those players has to be to break into the first team setup.

Neil wants to make sure that he makes the first team managers job as hard as it can get with selection headaches with his players breaking into the first team. "I guess everyone has ambitions but you cant run before you walk. My immediate focus will be with the current group, appointing my back room staff, enjoying working with the players and helping them to achieve their goals… hopefully that involves players being able to confidently knock on the door and provide Andy & Baz the first team managers a bit of a selection headache! Along the way we hope to be blooding some new names for the future from the pools of talent in our our youth setup. It's a real possibility.... Providing they work hard that is!"