He was out of the game for a matter of weeks, rejoining Stevenage and Graham Westley as first team coach. Stevenage reached the playoffs in his first season with a fifth-place finish, but were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Cambridge in the semi-finals. Consolation came by way of a 2-0 FA Trophy Final win over York at Wembley. Maamria was an unused substitute, and had actually made what proved to be his final professional appearance the month before against Ebbsfleet. After a series of near misses, 2009-10 was to be the season that Stevenage Borough finally took their place in the Football League as Conference champions by a massive eleven-point margin. The success kept on coming with the newly-renamed Stevenage going straight through League Two at the first attempt in 2010-11. A 3-0 aggregate win over Accrington in the play-off semi-finals and a 1-0 win over Torquay at Old Trafford took Stevenage to the third tier for the first time in their history. Interestingly, Maamria appeared on the substitute’s bench for the game at Lincoln on 25 September 2010 at the age of 39; although an unused substitute, the game represents his final involvement in professional football as a player. It also meant that he had completed fifteen years in English football without ever kicking a ball in the Football League.
Stevenage made a great start to life in League One and sat in the playoffs at the midway stage. However, in January 2012 Maamria and Westley moved to League One rivals Preston who were six points behind Stevenage in the table. However, Preston picked up just twenty-two points from as many games to finish fifteenth, not at all what was expected. Stevenage, meanwhile, finished sixth to qualify for the League One play-offs, where they lost 1-0 on aggregate to Sheffield United in the semi-finals. Preston made a better start to the 2012-13 season and sat on the edge of the playoffs in October. Then a run of one win in fourteen games left Preston just five points above the relegation zone, and Westley and his team were sacked on 13 February 2013.
Incredibly, six weeks later Maamria and Westley were back at Stevenage, who had lost fifteen of their last twenty league games. Stevenage won their first game back to dispel any lingering relegation fears and set about reviving the club’s fortunes. Unfortunately they got off to a poor start in 2013-14, losing seven of the first ten league games, and were relegated in bottom place. Form was patchy over the first half of the 2014-15 season but picked up dramatically from December onwards. A run of four wins and a draw in April saw Stevenage finish sixth, but the promotion challenge came to an end with a 4-2 aggregate defeat to Southend in the semi-finals. Shortly after the play-off defeat, Maamria and Westley were replaced by Teddy Sheringham. Consolation for Dino came in the shape of the UEFA Pro-Licence that year.
Maamria then turned up at another of his former clubs Southport, appointed manager on 19 November 2015. Another rescue job was required, with the side sitting third from bottom of the National League. Southport won their first game 1-0 at Welling but lost the next one to remain in the drop zone. Southport then embarked on a run of six successive wins that carried them up to sixteenth and won Maamria the Manager of the Month award for December. Form levelled off after that, but the club was out of danger. However, it was always going to be a challenge managing a Lancashire club from Hertfordshire, and it was not long before travel and family reasons led to his resignation on 14 March 2016. It was another salvage operation completed: five points adrift when he joined them, Southport were eight points clear of relegation when he left.
On 10 October 2016, Maamria was reunited with Westley at League Two bottom club Newport, although their tenure was destined not to be a success. Three successive wins in November lifted Newport out of the bottom two, but they were to win just one more game after that. They were sacked in March 2017 with Newport seemingly doomed to relegation.
Another salvage operation was required at his next stop Nuneaton Town. Appointed manager on 28 October 2017, Nuneaton were one place above the relegation zone in National League North. Form was slow to improve until a 4-1 win over Tamworth on Boxing Day sparked a run of seven wins from ten games. With Nuneaton now only seven points behind the play-offs, Stevenage came calling for the fifth time on 20 March 2018. But this time was different: he was a Football League manager for the first time. With Stevenage in mid-table security, it was simply a case of reaching the end of the season and his first transfer window.
Dino Maamria’s continued presence in the English game is a triumph of determination over improbability. The boy from the desert was an African pioneer, and despite spending much of his career in non-league football, no one can claim he has not earned the right to test his skills in the Football League. He has a lot of experience of League Two as a coach, and has two promotions and three unsuccessful play-off campaigns to his name from his previous involvements with Stevenage. The question is: can he complete the hazardous journey from coach to manager successfully?
Key:
P = Promoted; R = Relegated; SF = Lost in play-off semi-final; F = Lost in play-off final; PO = Won play-off final; D = Demoted.
Figures are league games only; cup matches and playoffs are not included.
League position shown is either the position at the end of the season or the position at the time of departure.
Writer: Scotimp
Who Are The League Two Managers? No.20: Dino Maamria (@StevenageFC):https://t.co/t3qxYFcn23#Stevenage #StevenageFC #EFL
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) July 30, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/VitalLincolnCity/posts/1787515337951370
