An encounter with a holidaying Burnley scout was a crucial step on the road that took Dino Maamria from Tunisia to Stevenage managerAlmost three weeks into the job, Dino Maamria is at ease, sat in his manager’s office at Stevenage’s training ground, charting his ambitions for a club close to his heart and telling his fascinating story. It is tale of determination, how, as a teenager from Gafsa, in south-west Tunisia, on the edge of the Sahara desert, he realised his dream of becoming a footballer, and now, having earned his stripes in the non-league game, he is carving out a reputation as a manager.A gregarious character, Maamria, a former striker for Stevenage and the former assistant manager under Graham Westley, makes compelling company over an hour’s conversation, much of which revolves around his unorthodox journey to England, including how Brian Miller, the former Burnley scout on holiday at the time, offered him a two-week trial after spotting him playing against Étoile Sportive du Sahel, a team from Sousse, a tourist resort in the north. Related: The new Vardy? Stevenage sign factory worker from Leicester player’s academy Continue readingreadfullarticle
