The Cowleys' Championship Manager partnership which has progressed to getting Portsmouth back to the Championship in real life

It’s a working relationship honed from playing Championship Manager together on the Amiga.
Nicky Cowley, left, alongside brother Danny on the touchline for Pompey's pre-season game against the Hawks.Nicky Cowley, left, alongside brother Danny on the touchline for Pompey's pre-season game against the Hawks.
Nicky Cowley, left, alongside brother Danny on the touchline for Pompey's pre-season game against the Hawks.

Some three decades on, the Cowley brothers remain in football. Childhood vocation has become an adult occupation.

Nicky, three years Danny’s junior, has been by his sibling’s side throughout their remarkable rise from Essex PE teachers to overseeing Pompey in League One.

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Indeed, as a talented midfielder, he netted a hat-trick to earn Danny a 6-1 success over Sawbridgeworth for his first match as Concord Rangers’ joint-manager in August 2007.

Pompey assistant head coach Nicky Cowley applauds the fans at full time following Pompey's 1-0 win at Fleetwood last Saturday. Picture: Paul ThompsonPompey assistant head coach Nicky Cowley applauds the fans at full time following Pompey's 1-0 win at Fleetwood last Saturday. Picture: Paul Thompson
Pompey assistant head coach Nicky Cowley applauds the fans at full time following Pompey's 1-0 win at Fleetwood last Saturday. Picture: Paul Thompson

Nicky, of course, would follow his brother into coaching at Concord, before the pair journeyed together to Braintree, Lincoln and Huddersfield.

Now the Cowley brothers have settled at Fratton Park, striving to add to their five career promotions.

Nicky told The News: ‘We’ve spent a long time working together now, stretching back to being PE teachers at the FitzWimarc School.

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‘Our aim was to raise the standards of PE and we had some real success, as well as extra-curricular in a variety of activities.

‘I think it’s from those days that we realised we had a good chemistry and a good understanding of how each other works. Then we progressed to working together at Concord Rangers.

‘At that time I was playing for Danny, then, after seven or eight years, towards the end of that period, I became assistant manager. I’ve always had a love of coaching, which probably stretches back to my dad when younger.

‘I guess watching dad coach us was in our DNA from a very early stage. He managed both of our football teams. Normally Danny’s game would kick off in the morning, then he’d be rushing off in the afternoon to fit my game in as well.

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‘We spent many a day as young kids playing Championship Manager on the Amiga together. Danny always wanted to plan everything and I would be sitting alongside him. We’d have some great fun doing that.

‘Mum used to moan at me a lot about not doing my homework as much as I should have, but looking back maybe I was doing my homework by playing that game!

‘As brothers, we enjoy each other’s company but also on a professional level have a lot of respect for each other. Trust and loyalty is important in a workplace and we share very similar values.

‘Although we share similar values, there are obviously individual strengths. You have to be very clear about your roles and responsibilities because what you don’t want is to duplicate work.

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‘I tend to have more of a responsibility in planning the training sessions on a day-to-day basis and the content for the sessions.

‘We work together as a team for preparation for the opposition, the recruitment of players, the analysis of our own performance, these are all parts of your job. A lot of the time we are working side-by-side, but there are occasions when we do have to break away.

‘Danny has other responsibilities, particularly more media responsibilities than me, so it’s important the cog keeps turning while that’s happening.’

The brothers are in the process of moving into the Titchfield area, some two roads apart.

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With four children between them, they’ll be attending West Hill Park School, maintaining the strong family unit.

As brothers and work colleagues, it’s a natural fit.

Cowley added: ‘Our wives are very close as well, so they’re able to support each other when we are away.

‘In Chelmsford we lived 3-4 minutes away from each other - and when we moved to Lincoln ended up living next door!

‘That made travelling very easy, you can use that as meeting time. We’re constantly planning, it’s good to be close enough to each other so you can literally walk through a door and can meet.

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‘That's the beauty of our relationship, the fact we are happy enough to spend lots of hours together to keep trying to drive the club forward.

‘The Amiga was where the partnership began. It was a long time ago, but it has been a lot of fun ever since.’

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