EX Q Factor special from Oz!

In an EX Q Factor special in the Brackley programme in February, Adam Cattell spoke to former Darlington full back Paul Arnison, who is now coaching in Australia.

For former Quaker Paul Arnison, the decision to move Down Under for a new beginning is one he doesn’t regret for a second.  The right back, a member of our victorious FA Trophy side in 2011, emigrated in 2013, heading to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast (65 miles north of state capital Brisbane) with wife Amanda and sons Alfie and Harry.

There he has carved out a successful coaching career, leading his side Sunshine Coast Wanderers to promotion to the National Premier League (Queensland’s top tier football competition) last year.

I was lucky enough to have a chat with Paul before a Wanderers training session, and get his thoughts on all things Darlo, including that famous Wembley win.

It was back in 2009 when Arnison joined up with the Quakers following his release from Bradford City, playing in a pre-season game against Newcastle before being offered a deal.  “I knew a few of the boys there,” explains Paul. “I was at Carlisle with Chris Lumsden and Jeff Smith.”

A poor start to the campaign resulted in Colin Todd and player coach Dean Windass being shown the door, and the appointment of former Ireland manager Steve Staunton.  It is fair to say that Arnison didn’t enjoy life under Staunton’s disastrous tenure.

In fact, he found himself frozen out under the ex-Liverpool full back, along with a number of senior pros. “Coming in we all the upmost respect for what he had achieved as a player,” he states. “But straight away he split the group. We would be training with Craig Liddle and the kids at 9:30am, then the first team would arrive at 11am and were told not to talk to us.

“I remember coming in one day and seeing a pile of dirty training kit on the floor. Tommo (kit-man) told me he wasn’t allowed to wash it any more!”

One crumb of comfort for Arnison was training under the watch of club legend Liddle, stating he felt as fit as he ever had been. “Lids loved his intensity, he’s a top guy and it’s no surprise to me how well he’s gone on to do at Middlesbrough.”

Following Darlington’s relegation to the National League, he stayed on under new manager Mark Cooper in a season that culminated in Wembley success.  Paul’s sons Harry and Alfie were mascots that day, but his recollection of the match is a little hazy. ‘” can’t remember much about it to be honest; it’s a bit of a blur,” admitting he’s never watched the entire game back.

As the contest entered its dying moments, thoughts began to turn to spot kicks before Chris Senior’s late intervention. “I knew there was a chance I might have to take a penalty,” he tells me. “I’d missed one earlier in the season at Barrow, so I wasn’t that confident!”

After the euphoria of the dramatic victory, Paul recalls the team going their separate ways. For Paul, this meant jumping into a car with his mates and heading back up the M1 towards Hartlepool. “We didn’t arrive back till about 11:30pm, I was absolutely drained physically and mentally!”

Fast forward nearly ten years and Arnison and his family are now firmly settled into their Australian lives. They were able to gain a skilled visa through his wife Amanda’s nursing background. Eldest son Harry, now 18, is a talented midfielder, and part of his dad’s Wanderers squad.

When asked about the standard of competition in the National Premier League, Arnison states it is not too far away from the upper echelons of non-league football in the UK. “I think the standard is getting better all the time…there’s more money coming in and the league is able to attract better players and coaches now.”

His newly promoted team will be an unknown quantity, and for Paul his ultimate objective is for his side to retain its National Premier League status at the end of this season. “We don’t have the budgets compared to the top sides, for us it’s all about keeping out of the bottom two spots; anything above that is a bonus.”