Stan Storton has no regrets on leaving Telford United

Stan Storton (right) and Gerald Smith made Telford a success

Stan Storton has marked the 20th anniversary of his dramatic resignation at Telford United by insisting he has no regrets about his shock decision.

Storton stunned the club by announcing he was stepping down as manager in December 1989.

"I loved my time at Telford," he said. "It was, and is, a great club. I still follow their progress every week.

"But football's a huge job and it means you miss out on seeing your family grow up, so leaving was the right decision."

He added: "We achieved so much, getting to three FA Trophy finals, beating Football League clubs in the FA Cup.

"I'd thought about it for a while, but when I told my wife in our kitchen that I was calling it a day even she was surprised," he said in an exclusive 20th anniversary interview with BBC Radio Shropshire.

"But what brought it home to me was when my daughter arrived at the house one day with her new baby. I was on the phone and when she left half an hour later, I was still on the phone."

We had some great players who all gelled together - we thrived on team spirit

Former Telford United boss Stan Storton

Storton - who was inducted as a club legend last season - was persuaded by then Telford chairman Gerald Smith to leave Bangor City and make the daily journey from his Merseyside home to take over the Lilywhites.

"I remember going for the interview and thinking, what a long way this is," he said. "But Gerald had such a passion for the club that he could have persuaded me to do anything.

Under Storton's leadership, Telford became the side feared by Football League clubs in the FA Cup.

"We had some great players who all gelled together," said Storton. "We thrived on team spirit.

"And we always played good football. The great Tom Finney came into the dressing room after we'd beaten his beloved Preston and told us how good we were.

"I also remember the Daily Telegraph describing us as the Manchester United of non-League football, which was a nice compliment."

Storton famously guided Telford to the fifth round of the FA Cup in 1985, losing 3-0 at Goodison Park to that season's eventual league champions Everton.

"I still believe we'd have got through to the next round if we'd drawn anyone else," recalls Storton.

"Everton were a class side, but they could also rough it up a bit when they had to and they stopped us playing."