Man Utd treble winner has stopped feeling like "fraud" over 1999 medal
Precisely nine Brackley Town fans were braving a keen wind on the away terrace, so Scarborough Athletic chairman Trevor Bull sent them each a complimentary pint.
Bull would have preferred to entertain them in the clubhouse, but born-again Boro are subject to National League North's strict segregation rules and at the pristine Flamingo Land Stadium he didn't have a leg to stand on.
That gesture of solidarity with diehard supporters who made the 400-mile round trip in midweek to watch a gritty 0-0 draw was typical of a big-hearted club with a familiar manager.
You don't find many Treble winners in the dugout in English football's sixth tier, but for Jonathan Greening – part of Manchester United's squad who conquered Europe in 1999 – holding the fort at his home-town club is an affair of the heart.
Now 44, Greening once said he felt a “fraud” for collecting a Champions League winner's medal 24 years ago when he didn't play a single minute of European football that season.
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But there is no shame in being part of United's supporting cast. When Greening left Old Trafford in 2001, Sir Alex Ferguson had offered him a new contract to stay, and his 516 appearances at seven clubs were littered with quarterback passes sprayed across the pitch like a subway graffiti artist's aerosol paint.
There was a time, around 12 months ago, when some fans wanted 'Jono' out at Scarborough, but they were converted by a barnstorming run to promotion, just as Fergie's doubters soon evaporated when the trophies started rolling in at United.
Jonathan Greening has Scarborough Athletic up to fifth in the National League North (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)“If the most successful manager of all time can get a bit of stick, it can happen to anyone,” laughed Greening. “I've still got my Champions League medal and, the more years have gone by, the less I feel a fraud about having it, as I did back in the day.
“When I was playing, it was the starting XI and the subs who got medals – they didn't really count the lads who travelled – but these days it's all about the squad.
“If my playing career had happened now, I would probably have three Premier League winner's medals as well because I used to travel to nearly every game in the three years I was at Manchester United.
“Look, I went on to play in a European final with Fulham and the great escape at West Brom under Bryan Robson, so I don't feel hard done-by. I had a great career, lived the dream and now I'm managing my home-town club, so why should I complain?”
Jonathan Greening used to feel like a fraud for his Champions League medal (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)Scarborough Athletic is the phoenix born out of the ashes of the 128-year-old club liquidated in 2007. On Greening's watch, gates have more than doubled to around 1,600 and even in the deadlock against Brackley – now managed by ex-Wolves pair Roger Johnson and Stephen Ward - his team's endeavour was brisk and purposeful.
“This club holds a special place in my heart because I was born here, I used to be a ball-boy at the original Scarborough FC and go to watch Neil Warnock's team as a fan,” he said.
“I was with my dad and brothers at the club's first-ever Football League game in 1987 against Wolves, when a guy fell through the roof of the stand.
“I was devastated when the club went under. I was playing for West Brom in the Premier League at the time, and I felt a bit helpless, but we're back in business now, operating at a decent level and, slowly but surely, hopefully we'll get back in the League.
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Greening isn't taking the easy route in management (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)“When I got the opportunity to take over here, I simply couldn't turn it down. My mum, dad, brothers and sisters still live in the town and it just felt right.
“The club is trying to build something special, with its roots bedded in the community, and I'm trying to help with the football side of things.
“We're fan-owned, so we can't spend massive amounts of money, but we have a tight group of players with a good spirit and the momentum of being promoted has spilled over into this season.
Greening chatting to Mirror Football man Mike Walters (Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)“It's not an ego trip – since retiring as a player in 2014, I've worked at Nottingham Forest with the Under-21s, York City with the Under-18s and at the i2i academy in York for more than six years.
“I miss the cut and thrust of playing where games matter and points are at stake, but this job feels like a really good fit and another promotion would be fantastic.
“People say I'm learning my trade as a manager here, but I've got the full deck of coaching badges – FA modules, UEFA and Pro Licence – and I've been coaching since 2014 on top of 20 years as a player, so I've got a lot of experience in the bank.
“Sometimes the players don't listen to me, but I'm trying to give something back to football because the game has been good to me. Before the season started, a lot of people said we would be relegated, but we're fifth in the league and doing OK.”
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