Gareth Southgate's decision to stay on as England boss welcomed by Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver

The 52-year-old, who lives in Fewston, Nidderdale recently led the Three Lions to the quarter-finals of this year’s Qatar World Cup and has confirmed that he wants to stay in the job until at least the end of his current contract, which ends after the 2024 European Championships.

Southgate has previously overseen England’s progress to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of Euro 2020, but it is not just his achievements at major tournaments that have convinced Weaver that the former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender is the right man for the role.

"I think it is absolutely a good thing, it is great news that Gareth has decided to stay in charge,” the Town chief told the Harrogate Advertiser.

“He’s done a fabulous job. My feeling is that we’ve gone into the last three tournaments actually believing that we could win them, and it’s been a long time since I think a lot of people could honestly have said that.

"We’ve been getting really close to success so I feel like we are in safe hands with Gareth. I think it would have been a real blow had he decided not to continue.

"There’s been plenty of talk going back years and years about this country not being able to get great players to bring their club form to the international stage and of the ‘golden generation’ not achieving what it should have.

"But Gareth has improved performance levels as well as growing a fantastic culture within the England squad. He’s brought the players together, created a really likeable football team and I think that the country has come together and got behind them.”

Both Town and Weaver, who has got to know Southgate in recent years, benefited from the Three Lions chief’s expertise back in the summer of 2020, shortly before their historic Wembley win over Notts County, which saw them promoted to the Football League for the first time.

He met up with Harrogate’s squad in the build up to their National League play-off semi-final win over Boreham Wood, passing on advice about set-pieces and penalty shoot-outs among other subjects, while also fielding questions from Sulphurites players.

"Gareth was great with the lads before our National League play-off games,” Weaver added.

"He’s such a nice guy, very humble, not in any way big time, happy to give up his time to help us out and answer any questions that the players had.

"When you think back to previous England managers who I used to look up to like Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables and then you’ve got the current guy in the job coming to meet my players at Harrogate Town – I had to pinch myself.”