Borough Bring In Martin Woods As Club’s New Assistant Manager

Borough Bring In Martin Woods As Club’s New Assistant Manager

Grimsby Borough Football Club are thrilled to confirm Martin Woods as the Wilderness Boys’ new Assistant Manager.

Following yesterday’s appointment of Ricky Ravenhill as First-Team Manager, the new boss has moved swiftly to further consolidate his coaching and leadership structure, with Martin’s arrival signifying another significant coup in our desire to push on in the NPL.

40-year-old Scotsman Woods boasts a wealth of footballing experience, having played over 500 professional matches throughout his 24 years in the game to date.

Starting out at Leeds United, the creative midfielder went on to play in the top four tiers of English football for clubs such as Sunderland, Doncaster Rovers, and Rotherham United, alongside two spells with Ross County in the Scottish top flight.

During his latter stay at Dingwall, the Airdrie-born man was part of the Staggies side that memorably saw off Hibernian at Hampden Park to lift the 2016 Scottish League Cup, before he moved on to Partick Thistle, and then Dundee.

Martin came back to England in 2020, playing at step one and two of the non-league pyramid for the likes of Halifax Town, Brackley Town, and Boston United, with whom he won the 2023/24 National League North play-offs.

Following a brief spell as Interim Manager with the Pilgrims in the autumn of 2024, Woods returned to playing duties, moving on to Worksop Town, and then King’s Lynn Town, whom he left in the summer to focus on his coaching roles. 

Over recent years, Martin has held various positions at Doncaster Rovers, starting out as Academy Coach, before taking over as Under-18s Transition Coach; subsequently becoming the League One club’s Head of Academy Recruitment and Head of Loans and Player Pathway.

Having distinguished himself at the highest levels of the game as a player, Woods brings an abundance of top level coaching knowledge through elite footballing environments and operations.

Martin’s extensive expertise in talent identification and strategy will be hugely beneficial in our club’s commitment to player development, and we look forward to him adding his substantial skill-set alongside that of Ricky in the dugout at the Technica Home of Grimsby Borough.

Grimsby Borough Manager, Ricky Ravenhill:-

Woodsy brings a wealth of experience to Grimsby Borough, built from an excellent playing career, a deep understanding of the game, and valuable coaching experience - most recently within the Doncaster Rovers set-up.

I’ve known Woodsy for several years and have always had huge respect for his knowledge of the game and the way he approaches football. His footballing philosophy closely aligns with my own, which makes this a really exciting addition for us.

I’m really looking forward to working alongside him at Grimsby Borough and seeing the impact he can have as we continue to move the club forward.

Welcome to the Wilderness Boys, Martin