Ronnie Jepson

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Ronnie Jepson
Personal information
Full name	Ronald Francis Jepson
Date of birth	12 May 1963 (1963-05-12) (age 46)
Place of birth	Audley, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Striker
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1988–1989 1989–1990 1989 1990–1991 1991–1993 1993–1996 1996–1997 1997–1998 1998–2000	Nantwich Town Port Vale → Peterborough United (loan) Preston North End Exeter City Huddersfield Town Bury Oldham Athletic Burnley	unknown 022 0(0) 018 0(5) 038 0(8) 054 (21) 107 (36) 047 0(9) 009 0(4) 059 0(3)
Teams managed
2005–2007	Gillingham
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Ronald Francis "Ronnie" Jepson (born 12 May 1963 in Audley, Staffordshire) is an English former footballer and manager who was assistant manager of Huddersfield Town until 4 November 2008, following Stan Ternent's dismissal.

In June 2007 he obtained the UEFA Pro Licence qualification whilst manager of Gillingham, he resigned from Gillingham in September 2007^[1] and has not taken charge at another club since.

He is currently the reserve team coach at Crystal Palace.

Contents 1 Playing career 2 Coaching and management career 2.1 Time as Gillingham manager 2.2 Huddersfield Town assistant manager 3 Honours 3.1 as a Player 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Playing career

A relative latecomer to the professional game at 25, when he transferred from Nantwich Town, Jepson started his league career at Port Vale in March 1989. Unable to nail down a first team place he was loaned to Peterborough United in January 1990 for a three month spell. He was sold to Preston North End for £80,000 in February 1991^[2] and then two years later moved on to Exeter City, where he established himself with 21 goals in 54 games.

In December 1993, Huddersfield Town paid Exeter £70,000 for his services, and whilst there he formed a successful strike partnership with Andy Booth, scoring 36 goals and helping the side to gain promotion in 1995. When he was at Huddersfield he earned the nickname Rocket Ronnie.

Leaving for Bury on a £40,000 transfer in August 1996, he was purchased for ten times that amount in January 1998 by Oldham Athletic. Despite this fee and his record of four goals in nine games for the Boundary Park club, he signed with Burnley at the end of the season. Making 68 appearances over all competitions for the Clarets, all but six were as a substitute. Eventually an achilles problem at the end of the 2000-01 season ended his playing days.

[edit] Coaching and management career

Upon retiring as a player, Stan Ternent, who had signed Jepson at both Bury and Burnley, then appointed him to his first coaching role as reserve coach at the Clarets. In June 2002 he was linked to the vacant management position at Huddersfield Town, though Jepson opted to stay at Burnley.^[3]

In May 2004, Ternent's contract at Burnley was not renewed by the club and Jepson was let go along with him. In December of the same year, Ternent became manager at Gillingham, and Jepson joined him, again as assistant manager. Although the Gills' fortunes improved, they narrowly failed to escape relegation from the Championship. Ternent left the club during the summer, but Jepson remained, as assistant to new manager Neale Cooper.

[edit] Time as Gillingham manager

The 2005-06 season did not start well for Gillingham, and following a run of bad results and an FA Cup defeat to non-league Burscough, Cooper resigned and Jepson was appointed manager on 15 November 2005, initially on a caretaker basis, but he signed a two year contract within the first two months, although this was not made public until several months later. Jepson turned the season around, and the Gills, having flirted with relegation danger, finally finished in 14th place with 60 points. During the close season Jepson's assistant Mick Docherty, who had been on a short-term contract, signed a new two-year contract for the role, and Jepson was able to make long term adjustments to the playing squad.

At the end of the 2006-07 season Jepson was once again linked with the newly vacant management position at Huddersfield,^[4] despite claiming to be happy at the Priestfield Stadium.^[5] Jepson was relieved to keep Gillingham in League One at the end of the season,^[6] however following a poor start to the 2007-08 campaign, with five defeats from the first six matches, Jepson resigned as manager.^[7]

[edit] Huddersfield Town assistant manager

On 24 April 2008 it was confirmed that Jepson would return to Huddersfield Town. Previously he had been approached to become the manager,^[8] though this appointment saw him reunited with Stan Ternent, who was the newly appointed manager at the club, Jepson would once again become his assistant. The next month the pair were joined by Mick Docherty, who joined as first team coach, having previously worked with Jepson and Ternent at Burnley.^[9]

After just six months at the club, all three men left the club in November 2008 after a difference of opinion with the board of directors.^[10]

[edit] Honours

[edit] as a Player

with Huddersfield Town

• Football League Second Division play-off winner: 1995

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Ronnie Jepson career stats at Soccerbase
• Ronnie Jepson management career stats at Soccerbase

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