Peterborough United great enjoyed a superb start, but a shocking end to his managerial career at London Road

John Still became Posh manager at the start of the 1994-95 and appointed Mick Halsall as coach. Halsall had been coaching the previous season as he struggled to recover from a serious achilles injury.

Still left the club after 15 months and Mick was made caretaker-manager.

“We won my first game as manager 6-1 against a Carlisle side managed by Nigel Pearson,” Mick recalled.

“I eventually got the job permanently and we went along steadily until the end of the season without winning as many games as we should have done.

“Then Barry Fry bought the club and took over as manager. I stayed as a coach along with Lil Fuccillo, but out of the blue a few months later Barry just said he couldn’t afford to pay me and Lil any more! We were staggered.

“About a month later Peter Boizot bought the club so I thought I might get asked back, but it never happened which was disappointing.

“Barry was ok with me. He was never going to be a great friend though.”

Mick managed Posh in 33 League games winning 10 and losing 15. After leaving employment at Posh for the last time Mick worked as a school caretaker among other things and took his coaching badges

Mick then returned to the Football League as assistant manager to John Still at Barnet.

The pair had worked together at Posh, but the next meeting with their old club was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Posh triumphed by a club record 9-1 margin at Underhill in a Division Three game which saw two home players sent off.

“Posh had a good side with excellent young players like Matthew Etherington and Simon Davies coming through,” Mixk stated.

“I enjoyed working with John. He was a lovely bloke, but by then I had started to think my pathway in football would be with youngsters rather than adults.”

Halsall also acted as caretaker-manager at Walsall briefly after Paul Merson left the club. He also spent a short time working for big Posh rivals Cambridge United.