Russell Penn

Russell Penn

Penn playing for York City in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Russell Anthony Penn [1]
Date of birth	(1985-11-08) 8 November 1985 (age 39) [2]
Place of birth	Dudley, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Halesowen Town (manager)
Youth career
2001–2002	Birmingham City
2002	Kidderminster Harriers
2002–2003	Scunthorpe United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2005	Scunthorpe United	0	(0)
2005–2009	Kidderminster Harriers	147	(19)
2005	→ Alvechurch (loan)	4	(1)
2009–2011	Burton Albion	81	(7)
2011–2014	Cheltenham Town	105	(2)
2014–2016	York City	100	(5)
2016–2017	Carlisle United	1	(0)
2016	→ Gateshead (loan)	15	(0)
2017	Wrexham	16	(0)
2017–2018	Gateshead	40	(0)
2018	York City	12	(0)
2018–2019	Kidderminster Harriers	23	(0)
International career
2007–2009	England C	8	(1)
Managerial career
2019	Kidderminster Harriers (interim manager)
2020–2024	Kidderminster Harriers
2024–	Halesowen Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:10, 28 April 2019 (UTC)

Russell Anthony Penn (born 8 November 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of Halesowen Town.

He was appointed interim manager of National League North club Kidderminster Harriers in 2019 and was appointed as permanent manager in 2020. After guiding his side to promotion via the play-offs, he was sacked from his position in the club in January 2024 with Harriers then bottom of the table, 7 points from safety. On 27 February Penn was announced as the new manager of Halesowen Town, replacing Paul Smith, on a long term deal.

Club career

Born in Dudley, West Midlands ^[4] into a sporting family (his father was a footballer with Halesowen Town and his younger brother Mike became a rugby union professional), ^{[5] [6]} Penn began his career at Birmingham City in their youth system in July 2001. ^[7] He joined the youth system at Kidderminster Harriers in March 2002, and appeared in one youth team match against Wellington on 7 March before joining Scunthorpe United's youth system in July 2002. ^[7]

He returned to Kidderminster Harriers on a free transfer in the summer of 2005; he had a short spell on loan at Alvechurch before breaking into the Kidderminster team.^{[ citation needed ]}

Penn joined newly promoted League Two club Burton Albion on 9 July 2009 on a two-year contract, for an undisclosed fee thought to be a club record. ^[8] He scored his first goal for Burton on 15 August 2009 in a 5–2 win over Morecambe. ^[9]

Penn signed for League Two club Cheltenham Town on 23 May 2011 on a two-year contract, after he rejected a new contract with Burton. ^[10] He scored his first goal for Cheltenham in an FA Cup second-round match away at Luton Town in December 2011, followed quickly by his second goal a week later in a home League Two match against Southend United.^{[ citation needed ]}

On 7 January 2013, Penn turned in a man of the match performance and scored the home team's goal (his third for Cheltenham) in a 5–1 FA Cup third-round defeat at the hands of Premier League team Everton. Following the departure of club captain Alan Bennett in the January 2013 transfer window, Penn was named the new club captain by Cheltenham manager Mark Yates.^[ citation needed ]

Penn signed for Cheltenham's League Two rivals York City on 6 January 2014 on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[11]

Penn turned down a new contract with York to join League Two club Carlisle United on 27 May 2016 on a one-year contract. ^[12] On 22 September 2016, Penn joined National League club Gateshead on a one-month loan until 25 October, having only made two appearances for Carlisle. ^[13] On 24 October 2016, the loan was extended until 26 December. ^[14]

On 13 January 2017, Penn signed for National League club Wrexham on a contract until the end of 2016–17, ^[15] after leaving Carlisle by mutual consent. ^[16]

Penn rejoined Gateshead on 11 May 2017 on a one-year contract, ^[17] after turning down a new contract with Wrexham because of family reasons. ^[18]

Penn re-signed for National League North club York City on 8 May 2018. ^[19] Six months later he re-signed for York's National League North rivals Kidderminster Harriers on a free transfer, on a one-and-a-half-year contract. ^[20]

Coaching career

In November 2019 he served as caretaker manager of Kidderminster for two matches, before being replaced by James Shan, for whom he worked as assistant. ^[21] When Shan departed to Solihull Moors on 11 February 2020, Penn was made manager of the club. ^[22] Penn was awarded the National League North Manager of the Month award for November 2021 after three league wins from three as well as success in the FA Cup and FA Trophy. ^[23] Penn won the award again for January 2022 after winning more points than anyone else across the course of the month as well as defeating Championship side Reading in the FA Cup third round. ^[24] On 5 February 2022, Penn saw his side take the lead against Premier League side West Ham United before a 91st-minute equaliser from Declan Rice took the game to extra time where Jarrod Bowen scored in the last minute to avoid a massive shock. ^[25] During the same season, Penn's Harriers side were in the mix for promotion for much of the season, however the team's form dipped during the last couple of months which saw the team's title hopes fade before being beaten 2-1 by Boston United in the Playoffs. The 22/23 season saw Penn's Harriers squad injury hit for sizeable parts of the campaign as they struggled for consistency. Penn bolstered his squad mid season, signing the likes of Christian Dibble, Kyle Morison and Joe Leesley. Harriers form improved greatly, Penn's side then won their last 6 league games, including beating Kettering Town 3-0 on the final day of the season, finishing in the play off positions as a result. Dreams then became a reality as Harriers beat Alfreton 1-0, King's Lynn 4-1 and then Brackley 2-0 to gain promotion back into the Conference. This saw Penn become the first manager at the club to gain promotion since Jan Molby in 2000.

Penn parted company with Harriers in January 2024 with the club bottom of the National League, having won 4 of their 28 league matches. On 27 February 2024 it was announced that Penn was back in football management, this time at Halesowen Town ^[26]

International career

Penn was capped eight times by England C, scoring one goal, from 2007 to 2009. ^[27] Having been a regular member of the team for two years, he was named the England C Player of the Year for 2009. ^[28]

Career statistics

As of end of 2018–19 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Scunthorpe United	2003–04 [29]	Third Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2004–05 [30]	League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kidderminster Harriers	2005–06 [31]	Conference National	22	0	0	0	—		5 [a]	1	27	1
	2006–07 [32]	Conference National	41	5	2	1	—		8 [b]	1	51	7
	2007–08 [33]	Conference Premier	42	11	3	0	—		5 [c]	1	50	12
	2008–09 [34]	Conference Premier	42	3	4	1	—		3 [d]	1	49	5
	Total		147	19	9	2	—		21	4	177	25
Alvechurch (loan)	2005–06 [7]	Midland Football Alliance	4	1			—				4	1
Burton Albion	2009–10 [35]	League Two	40	4	2	0	1	0	1 [e]	0	44	4
	2010–11 [36]	League Two	41	3	4	0	1	0	1 [e]	0	47	3
	Total		81	7	6	0	2	0	2	0	91	7
Cheltenham Town	2011–12 [37]	League Two	43	1	3	1	1	0	3 [f]	0	50	2
	2012–13 [38]	League Two	43	1	4	1	1	0	3 [f]	0	51	2
	2013–14 [39]	League Two	19	0	1	0	2	0	1 [e]	0	23	0
	Total		105	2	8	2	4	0	7	0	124	4
York City	2013–14 [39]	League Two	21	0	—		—		2 [g]	0	23	0
	2014–15 [40]	League Two	45	2	2	0	1	0	1 [e]	0	49	2
	2015–16 [41]	League Two	34	3	0	0	2	0	1 [e]	0	37	3
	Total		100	5	2	0	3	0	4	0	109	5
Carlisle United	2016–17 [42]	League Two	1	0	—		0	0	1 [h]	0	2	0
Gateshead (loan)	2016–17 [43]	National League	15	0	—		—		1 [b]	0	16	0
Wrexham	2016–17 [43]	National League	16	0	—		—		—		16	0
Gateshead	2017–18 [43]	National League	40	0	2	0	—		9 [b]	0	51	0
York City	2018–19 [43] [44]	National League North	12	0	3	0	—		—		15	0
Kidderminster Harriers	2018–19 [43] [45]	National League North	23	0	—		—		1 [b]	0	24	0
Career total			544	34	30	4	9	0	46	4	629	42

1. Three appearances and one goal in Football League Trophy, two appearances in FA Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
3. Three appearances and one goal in FA Trophy, two appearances in Conference League Cup
4. One appearance in Conference League Cup, two appearances and one goal in FA Trophy
5. Appearance in Football League Trophy
6. One appearance in Football League Trophy, two in League Two play-offs
7. Appearances in League Two play-offs
8. Appearance in EFL Trophy

Managerial statistics

As of 6 January 2024

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record					Ref
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Kidderminster Harriers (interim manager)		27 November 2019	6 December 2019	2	0	1	1	000.00	[46]
Kidderminster Harriers		11 February 2020	7 January 2024	161	67	41	53	041.61	[46]
Total				163	67	42	54	041.10	—

References

1. "List of players under written contract registered between 01/05/2017 and 31/05/2017" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 8. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
2. "Russ Penn". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
3. "Russell Penn". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
4. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 332. ISBN   978-1-84596-601-0.
5. "Rugby: Mike Penn driven by success of his relatives in football". The Scotsman. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
6. "FA Cup: Behind the scenes with Kidderminster boss Russell Penn before West Ham tie". BBC Sport. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
7. "Russell Penn – midfield". St@tto's Kidderminster Harriers Site. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
8. "Penn joins Burton from Harriers". BBC Sport. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
9. "Burton Albion 5–2 Morecambe". BBC Sport. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
10. "Cheltenham Town sign Russell Penn and Marlon Pack". BBC Sport. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
11. Flett, Dave (6 January 2014). "York City confirm signing of Cheltenham midfielder Russell Penn". The Press. York. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
12. "Russell Penn: Carlisle United sign York City midfielder". BBC Sport. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
13. "Midfielder Russell Penn has joined National League side Gateshead on a one-month loan". News & Star. Carlisle. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
14. Hall, Andy (24 October 2016). "Loan: Midfielder extends stay with Gateshead". Carlisle United F.C. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
15. Griffiths, Rob (13 January 2017). "Wrexham AFC sign Russell Penn". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
16. "Midfielder Russell Penn leaves Carlisle Utd by mutual consent". News & Star. Carlisle. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
17. "Russell Penn: Gateshead sign midfielder from Wrexham". BBC Sport. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
18. "Wrexham: Russell Penn rejects new contract but Chris Dunn stays". BBC Sport. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
19. Appleyard, Ian (8 May 2018). "Penn first new arrival of summer". York City F.C. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
20. Paddock, Matty (9 November 2018). "Penn again a Harrier". Kidderminster Harriers F.C. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
21. "Jimmy Shan appointed". Official Website of the Harriers - Kidderminster Harriers FC. 6 December 2019.
22. "Jimmy Shan departs". Official Website of the Harriers - Kidderminster Harriers FC. 11 February 2020.
23. "Trio Celebrate November National League North Accolades". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
24. "Trio Celebrate January National League North Accolades". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. 7 February 2022.
25. "Kidderminster Harriers 1–2 West Ham United". BBC Sport. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
26. "Russ Penn Leaves Harriers". Kidderminster Harriers. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
27. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2012). Non-League Club Directory 2013. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 1003, 1005, 1009. ISBN   978-1-869833-77-0.
28. "Penn is England C player of year". BBC Sport. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
29. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
30. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
31. "Russell Penn season details 2005/2006". Cheltenham Town Mad. Digital Sports Group. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016.
32. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2007). Non-League Club Directory 2008. Kingsbridge: Tony Williams Publications. pp. 118–119. ISBN   978-1-869833-57-2.
33. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2008). Non-League Club Directory 2009. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 96–97. ISBN   978-1-869833-59-6.
    For FA Trophy first round: "Guiseley 1 (1) v (0) 2 Kidderminster". St@tto's Kidderminster Harriers Site. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
34. Williams, Tony; Wright, James, eds. (2009). Non-League Club Directory 2010. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 110–111. ISBN   978-1-869833-66-4.
35. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
36. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
37. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
38. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
39. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
40. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
41. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
42. "Games played by Russell Penn in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
43. "R. Penn: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
44. For FA Cup second qualifying round: Flett, Dave (23 September 2018). "York City 5 Ashton Athletic 0 report, match stats and player ratings". The Press. York. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
    For FA Cup third qualifying round: Flett, Dave (7 October 2018). "York City 3 St Ives Town 0 report, match stats and player ratings". The Press. York. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
45. For FA Trophy third qualifying round: "Report: Harriers exit FA Trophy with York defeat". The Shuttle. Kidderminster. 24 November 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
46. "Kidderminster Harriers FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 13 January 2023.

External links

• Profile at the Kidderminster Harriers F.C. website