NEW Barrow AFC assistant head coach Robbie Stockdale says he took no convincing to join boss Stephen Clemence at Holker Street.

Stockdale revealed the pair have a good working relationship and says he’s looking forward to getting started.

He told the club’s official website: “It was quite a quick process really. Stephen gave me a ring late last week and having worked with him at Gillingham, I felt we did a good job there and I’m looking forward to doing a good job here.

“I’ve coached against Stephen while he was working with Steve Bruce and while I was working with David Moyes and Sam Allardyce.

“We also did our pro-licence together and worked together last season, so it’s been a long-time relationship and I think we complement each other really well.”

Stockdale believes that there are good foundations at Barrow, and says he and Clemence will look to take things forward.

He added: “There’s been some good work here over the past few years and we’ll hope to build on that but at the same time put our own stamp on the club and do things our way."

As a player Stockdale played 70 games in the Premier League for Middlesborough.

During his time with Boro, he had a number of loan spells including temporary stints at West Ham United and Sheffield Wednesday.

 The former defender also represented Scotland five times.

He finished his playing career at Grimsby Town, and while there became The Mariners youth team manager.

He also took temporary charge of  Town’s first team for a short spell in March 2011, alongside Dave Moore.

He left The Mariners after a four-year spell and joined then Premier League side Sunderland as a youth team coach.

Following a spell in charge of the Wearsiders’ under-21s side Stockdale was promoted to first-team coach at the Black Cats.

During his spell in the northeast, Stockdale took temporary charge of the first team on three separate occasions.

After six years at Sunderland, Stockdale had spells as an assistant manager at a range of clubs before he eventually got his first managerial job at Rochdale in 2021.

Since leaving Dale in the summer of 2022, Stockdale has had three more jobs as an assistant.

He first linked up with Clemence last season at Gillingham.

Barrow AFC have announced that Adam Temple, who was number two under former boss Pete Wild will remain at the club as part of the backroom team.