Ex-MK Dons boss Mike Williamson appointed Head Coach of non-league South Shields

Ex-MK Dons boss Mike Williamson has been appointed as the new Head Coach of National League North side South Shields.

Williamson replaces Ian Watson, who had served as Williamson’s assistant at MK Dons and who left the club earlier this month to take the job at Rochdale ahead of the Lancashire club’s return to League Two.

The move sees Williamson take on a new role with the Mariners, with Williamson having worked at Mariners Park since January in a backroom role as the club’s Director of Performance and Culture.

In a statement, South Shields Chairman Geoff Thompson said, “Mike has quickly become a valued and influential figure within the football club. His leadership qualities, knowledge of the game, and understanding of what we are trying to achieve made him the outstanding candidate for the role.

We are excited to see him lead the team into this next chapter and wish him every success.”

Williamson, who played for Portsmouth and Newcastle among others in his playing days, spent just under a year as Head Coach at MK Dons. He joined the Dons from Gateshead in October 2023, where he took the Dons to 4th in League Two after arriving with the club in the bottom half.

He then left after being offered the Carlisle job in September 2024, leaving after the Dons were heavily beaten by Crawley in the 2024 League Two play-offs before a more difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign saw the Dons lost 4 of their opening 6 games.

After a difficult spell at Carlisle saw him sacked after just 25 games in charge and a brief spell as a coach with Rangers assisting Russell Martin, the move sees Williamson return to the dugout.