Stalybridge Celtic is pleased to confirm the appointments of Chris Lawton, Andy Clough, Max Povey and Brian Richardson, who join Dave Jones' backroom team at Bower Fold.

Chris Lawton – Assistant Manager

Chris Lawton joins Celtic as Assistant Manager. Lawton was Assistant Manager at Widnes as they lifted the Northern Premier League West Division title and was most recently with Runcorn Linnets having spent two spells on the Linnets coaching staff. He's previously worked at City of Liverpool and made 143 appearances for Runcorn as a player.

Andy Clough – First Team Coach

Andy Clough reunites with Dave Jones at Bower Fold, having worked as part of his team at Atherton Laburnum Rovers.

An experienced coach, during Andy’s time alongside Dave at ALR, the club won the North West Counties League Division One North title, the Edward Case Cup and the Champions Cup in 2024/25, completing the first treble in the club's history.

Max Povey – Goalkeeper Coach

Max Povey joins Celtic as Goalkeeper Coach. A former academy graduate at Morecambe and player at the likes of AFC Fylde, Lancaster City and Atherton LR, Max retired from playing and set up his own goalkeeper coaching business and now joins Celtic to take up responsibility for the coaching of the club's goalkeepers.

Brian Richardson – Head of Recruitment

Brian Richardson joins Celtic as Head of Recruitment, having previously held the same position at Bury FC, FC United of Manchester and Runcorn Linnets.

Arriving with vast experience, Brian spent several years at FC United of Manchester, initially joining as Assistant Manager in 2019 and spent time as as Director of Football before joining Bury in 2025.

His previous managerial experience includes Prescot Cables and Bootle and Brian also spent ten years as Assistant Manager at Skelmersdale United and played professionally for Blackpool.

Welcome Chris, Andy, Max and Brian to Celtic!