NIGEL Adkins looks set to complete a remarkable rise that would take him from Bangor City to Saints.

The 45-year-old Scunthorpe manager is understood to be on the brink of being appointed the new manager at St Mary's.

Adkins is one of the most qualified football managers in the leagues, with a sport psychology diploma, a business and finance degree, UEFA coaching badges and experience from the ‘applied management in professional football’ course at Warwick Business School.

On top of all that he is a trained physio – the role in which he originally joined Scunthorpe after a career in the lower leagues of English football as a goalkeeper and then a successful spell as boss at Welsh side Bangor City, who he led to the qualifying stages of the Champions League.

Adkins was handed the job at Scunthorpe on a caretaker basis in November 2006 following the departure of Brian Laws and was given the role permanently a month later.

Since then he has enjoyed remarkable success. In 2007 he guided Scunthorpe to the League One title and promotion to the Championship – the first time the club had got out of the bottom two tiers of English professional football for 43 years.

Though they were relegated the following season Adkins rebuilt and took his side back to the Championship via the playoffs in May 2009.

In that same season, in which young Saint Joseph Mills was on loan at Glanford Park, they also got to the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final, losing to Luton.

Perhaps an even more remarkable achievement than the promotions though was that last season Adkins managed to keep Scunthorpe in the Championship.

That was with a ground that at capacity holds just 9,088 and last season had an average attendance of 6,383, some 14,559 less than Saints had in League One and a staggering 37,004 less than Championship winners Newcastle achieved.

It all meant that Scunthorpe had the lowest budget in the division – it is said to have been lower than Saints’ – and so the feat of avoiding relegation made Adkins a massive hero in Scunthorpe.

With Adkins' stock rising he has been linked with other high-profile jobs.

There were suggestions that he would leave for Championship side Swansea in the summer but the Iron held on to their man, who followed the likes of Bertie Mee and Bob Paisley from the role of physio to manager.

Saints though is potentially seen as a perfect step for Adkins.

The new look set-up is considered one in which he may be able to thrive, whereas a more conventional British manager may not, as they will not have control of every aspect of the football club.

It is also felt that he could grow and develop with the club if they achieve their aims of rising through the divisions, though he doesn’t have experience of managing at the very top level.