English football's longest-serving manager has decided to call it a day after 50 years in charge.

Just days after Sir Alex Ferguson, aged 71, announced he was stepping down as manager of Manchester United after a trophy-laden 27 years, Jimmy Davies, 71, revealed he was retiring from Liverpool side Waterloo Dock AFC at the end of the season.

Davies's claim to be the longest-serving manager in England has been verified by The Football Association.

Davies, who first took charge in 1963, said he had enjoyed managing 'tremendously'.

He said he had 'made the bold announcement it was going to be my last year ahead of our AGM, although I will still be on the committee' and added that 'time moves on [and] the modern age is catching up on me'.

Mr Davies will have been in charge for 24 more years than Sir Alex Ferguson, who recently announced he was stepping down at Manchester United after 26 years, but said there were not many similarities between their tenures.

He told the Liverpool Echo: 'I don't think Fergie gets involved in washing football kits like my wife does.'

Waterloo Dock AFC was formed by Davies and a group of friends who worked on Liverpool docks in 1963.

 Mr Davies, who has logged every game's appearances and scorers ever since, said he had played 'early on but after six weeks, the lads found me out and, trying to be nice, said 'you can go and be our manager'.

'It was purely by accident.'

Mr Davies's tenure has seen the club win more than 70 trophies.