Hinshelwood on his decision to leave Worthing for York City: I leave as a fan, not just an ex-manager

After his switch to York City – along with that of his right-hand men Gary Elphick and Cameron Morrison – was confirmed last week, Hinshelwood and Elphick both spoke of the wrench it would be to leave the Rebels.

Hinshelwood said the chance to swap Worthing for the opportunity to guide National League premier side York City – a famous former Football League club – away from relegation trouble was ‘too great to turn down’.

Having twice won the Isthmian Premier Division and picked up the Sussex Senior Cup last year, Hinshelwood departs with quite a Worthing legacy.

He told Worthing’s YouTube channel: “I feel like I’ve developed and grown with the club as well. When I first came, there was no 3G pitch here, half the stand was falling down.

"Where George (Dowell), Barry (Hunter) and Keith (Mitchell) are looking to take the club, it’s really exciting times, but the lure of York was too great to turn down at this stage of my career.”

Worthing have come a long way since Hinshelwood’s arrival, as he pointed out.

“I think of all age groups and every single person that has had to listen to me coach them out on that pitch… it fills me with a lot of pride,” he reflected.

"Probably more than the trophies, it’s coaching lads, U7s, U8s and U9s and then lads who have come into our youth team set-up at U14 and played in our first-team, seeing them develop.

“There’s lots to be cheerful for and I’m enormously grateful to everyone that’s been part of it.

"There’s been some real people behind the scenes, I can’t take credit for it all. And to every player that’s put on the Worthing shirt, ultimately it’s down to them.

"I’m getting this move and opportunity because of what they do out on the pitch.”

After building such a strong connection with supporters, Hinshelwood leaves as a fan of Worthing himself, not just a former manager.

He said: "It’s obviously a very special connection. I’ll never forget the fanbase and how they’ve responded to everything we’ve done and tried to do, so there’s a lot of respect there.

"I can’t speak highly enough of them and I'm hoping to be in the Shed come the play-off games … I’ll definitely be coming back as a supporter to follow the progress of the club.”

Making such a difficult decision, the former Brighton player outlined his ambitions and how York play a part in those: “They have a young owner, he’s got real high ambition for the club that sort of matches mine. I want to be a manager in the Football League and I’m one step closer to that.”

Worthing have installed former captain Aarran Racine as interim manager and Hinshelwood had a message for him and his assistants, Darren Budd and Dean Hammond.

“They’ll come in and feel what this club’s all about and I’m sure they’ll get that connection with the supporters because it’s a really good place to learn the trade,” he said.

"I just hope they have at least half the enjoyment that I’ve had.”

Whilst the news of Hinshelwood’s departure stole the headlines, Elphick’s exit from the staff is also a blow.

The former player and manager returned to the Rebels to work alongside Hinshelwood at the start of the current campaign, but has now joined Hinshelwood at York City - an opportunity he said ‘you’ve got to go for’.

Elphick told Worthing’s YouTube channel: “It’s been an absolute whirlwind to be honest. It happened very quickly.

"Obviously York are in a certain position in the league where they need to strike now, so to be honest, I haven’t had too much time to digest it.

“I felt every single emotion. This club’s been special to me from my first period here.

"It will always hold a special place in my heart and I thank everyone from the fans, the board, the media team, everything.”

Elphick said this was an offer that he couldn’t turn down.

“It’s just been an absolute whirlwind of emotions and it’s gutting to stop it at this stage of the season, because you’re doing well and you think about ‘what if?’.

“But when you speak to a club like York City – and this is no disrespect to Worthing because one day they will be there, I’m sure of that – the infrastructure, the deal to keep working with Hinsh and Cam, it’s a huge opportunity.

"It’s one where, if I got to 90 years old and sat down and thought ‘Why didn’t I take that?’ I’d be kicking myself. So, it’s one of those you’ve got to go for in life sometimes.”

Having been a part of Worthing on and off since 2015, the 38-year-old looked back on where it all started for him as a coach,

“For me, Worthing will always be that club that saw something in me to say ‘yeah, you know what, he’s a leader of men’ or ‘he can help galvanise the dressing room’ and I’ll always forever be grateful for that.

"I’ve met some special human beings in that dressing room as well.”

Elphick had a departing message for the next manager in the dugout.

“They’re coming to a group of lads who are brilliant, honest, hard working, a great bunch of characters in there and great ages, most of them,” he said.

"Whoever steps in now has got a fantastic opportunity to progress with the club and the timing couldn’t be better for anyone walking in this building.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​