Former Sheffield United midfielder is destined for "top level" management
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Jason Cummings, the former Hibernian, Rangers and Nottingham Forest centre-forward, scored a hat-trick as Montgomery’s side recorded a stunning 6-1 victory over Melbourne City at Parramatta’s Commbank Stadium.
Aged 41 and having guided the Mariners to fifth and second place finishes during his first two seasons at the helm, Montgomery’s success in transforming a team with the competition’s smallest budget by some considerable margin into a genuine force has captured the imagination of fellow coaches, supporters and rival sides alike.
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Hide AdReflecting upon the impact Montgomery and his assistant Sergio Raimundo have had in Gosford, where the Mariners are based, Cummings said: “He’s the best manager I’ve worked under. I’ve had a lot of clubs and he’s the best tactically. On the training field, as a person, as a guy, his man-management…is a different class.”
“He’s young as a manager, and he can go to the top level,” added Cummings, who worked under the likes of Aitor Karanka, Mark Warburton and Neil Lennon before heading Down Under. “Him and Sergio as well on the training pitch, they leave no stone unturned. That’s the reason we won 6-1, because of these guys.”
Supremely talented on the pitch but, until being signed by Montgomery, notoriously wayward off it, Cummings is now showing why he was once regarded as one of the most exciting youngsters in Scotland after bursting onto the scene at Easter Road. Now set for what has been described as a “life changing” move to India, Cummings remains in awe of Montgomery who made nearly 400 appearances for United before joining the Mariners in 2012. En route to the meeting with City, no AL team had handed more minutes to home grown players than them, with Montgomery surrounding the best graduates of the Mariners’ academy with experienced performers such as Cummings and Danny Vukovic.
After praising Paul Heckingbottom on his achievements at United, who gained promotion from the Championship last term, Montgomery told The Star he would love to see his old club travel to Gosford for a friendly. Drawing parallels between the “personalities” of United and the Mariners, whilst also highlighting how both have built enviable reputations in the field of youth development, Montgomery expressed his delight at witnessing United’s exploits - albeit from afar - since Heckingbottom’s appointment.
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Hide Ad“Paul is doing a brilliant job,” he said. “I watch as many (United) games as I can on the television here and it’s great to see the lads doing so well. They deserve it.”
“We get lots of teams from England coming over now,” Montgomery added. “But they always seem to overlook us and play others from the A-League. It would be wonderful to see United come and, if they faced us, I reckon it would be a great occasion because, for me, there’s lots in common between us both. United are a top-drawer side, Premier League. But I think we’d surprise a few people with the ability the lads have got here.”