Donna Powell became the first female manager in the English semi-professional men’s game – for 24 hours. In 2009 she took over struggling Fisher Athletic of the Conference South league for one match as a thank you for her fundraising efforts. Although the coach of a very successful boy’s under-11 side, she could not weave the same magic in her short tenure with Fisher, who lost 2-1 to Eastleigh. Her one-day appointment caused a row among those who were against females in football but she had been working on the turnstiles at Fisher and had raised £500 for the struggling club.
