Former Huddersfield Town and Doncaster Rovers coach makes big career move to link up with ex-Leeds United colleague

Schofield was sacked by Championship Huddersfield and League Two Doncaster last season as his first two tastes of management proved short-lived and unsuccessful.

But the former Huddersfield, Roterham United, Halifax Town and Bradford (Park Avenue) striker built a reputation on the back of his training-ground work and a change of scenery will allow him to get back to that with Central Coast Mariners.

Schofield's first big job after playing was coaching in the Leeds academy, working his way up to assist Carlos Corberan at under-23 level. He then took a similar job at Middlesbrough before becoming Huddersfield's under-19, then B team coach.

In the summer of 2022 he was handed the head coach job, but was sacked after one win and a draw in his nine games. He re-emerged at hometown club Doncaster preaching the same progressive football, but after 19 defeats in 33 games, he was let go at the end of the campaign.

Mark Jackson, himself a part of the Leeds academy set-up who joined the first-team set-up under Jesse Marsch, took over as head of A-League champions Central Coast in September after leaving Elland Road for a short and unsuccessful stint in charge of Milton Keynes Dons.

“When the opportunity came up for me to come to the Mariners, I knew I needed a certain type of person with me, for my development as a manager and what I need to support me, and Danny fits that bill," said Leeds-born Jackson, who also started his playing career with the Whites.

“He’s a fantastic coach, he understands the game and we have got alignment in how we see the game being played.”

Schofield added: “We have very similar ideas on how we want to play football and how we want to coach. We both challenge each other in different ways, but being aligned is the most important thing and to get the opportunity to work with him is great.”

Jackson replaced former Sheffield United favourite Nick Montgomery, who left to take over Hibernian, and the hope for he and Schofield is that they can cut their teeth and develop their skills out of the limelight as Barnsley manager Neill Collins did with American side Tampa Bay Rowdies.