In a surprising move in the Isthmian Premier Division, Hornchurch have appointed ex-Cardiff City boss Steve Morison as their new manager.
In his playing days, Morison played the latter stages of his career in the Football League – predominately with Millwall where he made over 300 appearances, scoring 92 goals in three spells with the Lions.
He began his career at Northampton Town and he then went on to have spells at Bishop’s Stortford and Stevenage where he netted a total of 96 goals for both clubs in 185 games.
He additionally played for teams including Norwich City and Leeds United before concluding an illustrious career with Shrewsbury Town in 2019.
During his time at Norwich in 2010, the striker earned a call-up to the Welsh National Team and made his debut in a 5-1 win over Luxembourg. He went on to make a further 19 caps, netting on one occasion against Montenegro.
The 39-year-old joined Cardiff in November 2021 after a successful interim period. He was previously manager of the U23’s side.
Morison led them away from the relegation zone and was subsequently rewarded with a contract extension in March 2022, keeping him in the Welsh capital until the summer of 2023.
Soon after the announcement, he picked up the EFL Championship Manager of the Month for the month of March.
However, Morison was unable to complete his contract after being sacked in September following an underwhelming start to the campaign.
The move to the Urchins has certainly come to a surprise to many and he will be looking to help them compete in the higher echelons of the division next season.