Spennymoor Town are delighted to announce the appointment of Peter Hartley as the Club’s new First Team Manager.
The 38-year-old returns to the North East to take charge at The Brewery Field and will be joined by Ryan Cresswell, who has been appointed as Assistant Manager.
Hartley’s appointment follows an extensive recruitment process which attracted more than 50 applications and allowed the Club to consider an exceptionally strong field of candidates.
The resulting shortlist included former National League North managers, individuals currently working within international football and coaches and assistant managers from EFL clubs.
Given the strength and breadth of that interest, the Club was determined not to rush the process and instead take the necessary time to ensure the appointment was the right one for Spennymoor Town.
Hartlepool-born Hartley arrives with significant experience from a playing career spanning more than two decades, having progressed through Sunderland’s academy before representing clubs including Hartlepool United, Plymouth Argyle, Bristol Rovers, Motherwell and Jamshedpur.
A commanding central defender, Hartley’s leadership qualities saw him appointed captain at multiple clubs through his playing career. During his time in Scotland, he helped Motherwell reach both domestic cup finals in 2017/18, before later captaining Jamshedpur to the Indian Super League Winners’ Shield in 2021/22.
Since moving into coaching, the UEFA A Licence holder has continued to build his experience at the highest possible level. After gaining coaching experience within the academies at Middlesbrough and Sunderland, Hartley joined St Mirren in October 2024 as First Team Coach and Head of First Team Transition & Loan Pathways.
During his time in Paisley, Hartley has been part of a coaching team which secured three consecutive top-six finishes in the Scottish Premiership and won the 2025/26 Premier Sports Cup, defeating Celtic in the Final at Hampden Park.
He will now make the next step in his coaching career by taking charge at The Brewery Field, with former Rotherham United captain Cresswell by his side.
The 38-year-old former central defender made almost 300 Football League appearances during a playing career which included spells with Rotherham, Southend United, Fleetwood Town and Northampton Town, before moving into coaching and management in non-league football.
The Club remains fully committed to the objectives established at the beginning of the season, with the ambition of achieving a top-seven finish in National League North alongside strong runs in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
To support those ambitions, the Club is committed to further investment in the First Team squad, ensuring Hartley has the resources required to strengthen where necessary and give the team every opportunity to achieve those objectives.
He will also have full autonomy to assess the existing playing squad and backroom staff and make any changes he believes are required.