John Still

John Leonard Still (born 24 April 1950) is an English former footballer and manager.

He is currently Head of Football for National League side Southend United.

After his playing career was cut short by injury, Still began managing non-League clubs around his hometown area of East London, Essex and Kent, achieving title wins and promotions with Leytonstone & Ilford, Dartford, Maidstone United and Redbridge Forest.

Born in West Ham, Essex, Still joined Leyton Orient as a youth player, signing as an amateur for them in May 1967.

He made his league debut the following season, playing at centre-back against Torquay United, but that proved to be his only league appearance before being released, having injured his knee in the game.

He later moved into non-League football with Bishop's Stortford, Leytonstone and Dagenham.

Still's playing career was ended despite surgery on his injured knee and he began coaching, while also working part-time as a salesman.

Still's first managerial job came with Leytonstone in 1976, which merged with Ilford three years later to become Leytonstone & Ilford.

He took the club to their first Isthmian League title in 1981–82.

In 1983, Still joined Dartford as manager, where he won the Southern League title before returning to Leytonstone & Ilford for a short time.

His next post came in 1986 at Maidstone United, which he guided to the Football Conference title and promotion to the Football League in 1989.

Still resigned as Maidstone manager soon after, having no desire to move into a full-time coaching role, and moved to Isthmian League club Redbridge Forest, which had been formed in 1989 by a merger of his former club Leytonstone & Ilford and Walthamstow Avenue.

He guided Redbridge to the Isthmian League title, and with it promotion to the Conference in 1990–91.

He was manager of Redbridge Forest when the club merged with Dagenham in 1992 to become its current incarnation – Dagenham & Redbridge.

Still took Redbridge to a seventh-placed finish in the next season and remained with the club as it yet again merged, this time with Dagenham to become Dagenham & Redbridge, in the summer of 1992.

The club finished third in 1992–93 and sixth in 1993–94.

Still accepted his first job in the Football League in August 1994 at Peterborough United, but was sacked a year later.

In August 1994, Still accepted the manager's role at recently relegated Second Division club Peterborough United.

He was sacked by the club on 24 October 1995 after winning only three of Peterborough's first 13 league matches of 1995–96.

While at Peterborough, he gave debuts to players such as Adam Drury, Giuliano Grazioli and Mark Tyler.

He joined Barnet in June 1997 and took the club to the play-offs twice, before leaving in 2002 after the club was relegated to the Football Conference.

After leaving Peterborough, Still became a coach at Third Division club Lincoln City before being appointed as manager of their divisional rivals Barnet in June 1997.

In preparation for 1997–98, Still primarily signed players he had worked with at Peterborough, including Ken Charlery, Greg Heald, Billy Manuel, and Scott McGleish.

In his first season in charge, Still took Barnet to the Third Division play-offs, but lost 3–2 in the semi-final to Colchester United.

The club finished in 16th place in 1998–99 and only seven points from relegation – their lowest position since being promoted to the Football League.

Still led Barnet to the play-offs once again in 1999–2000, under the threat of the club being expelled from the division due to problems surrounding their home ground, Underhill.

The club spent most of the season in the league's promotion places, but fell away in the final months and ultimately lost 5–1 on aggregate in the play-off semi-final to Still's former club Peterborough United.

In November 2000, Still became Barnet's director of football following the high-profile appointment of former England international Tony Cottee as player-manager.

At the time, Barnet were sitting in tenth place in the league, but soon suffered a sharp loss of form and plunged down the table to the relegation zone.

On 16 March 2001, Cottee left after losing 13 of his 19 league matches as manager and Still returned to lead the team for the remainder of the season.

He was unable to prevent Barnet's slide back into the Football Conference, as a 3–2 defeat at home to Torquay United on the final day of the season saw them relegated and end a decade-long stay in the Football League.

Still agreed to remain as both the club's manager and director of football until a replacement could be found, with Barnet intending to promote youth team coach and former Norwich City defender Ian Culverhouse to manager.

However, Culverhouse left the club in January 2001 to become youth team coach at Leyton Orient and Still subsequently resigned as manager one month later.

Still returned to Dagenham & Redbridge in April 2004, guiding the club to promotion to League Two in 2006–07 and then to League One three years later.

In February 2013, after nine seasons in charge, Still left Dagenham and dropped down a league to join Luton Town.

In his first full season as Luton manager, the club were crowned as Conference Premier champions and won promotion to League Two, making Still the only manager to lead three clubs to promotion out of non-League football.

He led Luton to an eighth-placed finish in League Two in 2014–15, before leaving the club in December 2015.

At the time, Barnet were 14th in the table, winless in seven league matches and had been knocked out of the FA Trophy.

Still rejoined Dagenham for a third term as manager on 31 December 2015.

In his first season in charge, Still led the club to a 15th-placed finish.