Petersfield Town Appoint New Management Team

Wessex League division one Petersfield Town have appointed first-team coach Matt Short as their new manager – and made changes to the management structure of the club.

Short had been with Town since former boss Paul Ryan joined the club, and club chairman Ian Essai said that officials were keen to have continuity and Short was the unanimous choice.

“Matt has worked well with Paul Ryan for the last few years and came to the table with some interesting plans for the future,” said Essai.

“He was one of two candidates to apply from within the club and all applicants interviewed well. We just felt the time was right for Matt to be given the reins. Dave Burley, who was Paul’s assistant manager, will stay on to provide the same support for Matt.”

One of the first things the new man implemented was a subtle change to the management structure and a comprehensive change of management staff.

Former Town centre-half Nigel Yates has been drafted in as reserve-team manager, replacing Alex Bone, who had resigned. He will be assisted by another former Town player, Phil Braithwaite.

The youth team management duo of Dave Harris and Ian Reed has been replaced by another former Town stalwart, Ian Noble, who will be assisted by John Blake (ex-Petersfield and Liss) and level three UEFA B coach James Goulsbra.

Goulsbra also takes a position on the executive committee of Town Juniors where he will be head coach, charged with the responsibility of standardising a high level of coaching throughout the age groups and smoothing the transition from junior to senior football.

Goulsbra himself came through the ranks at Town Juniors to play for Petersfield Town – as did Noble, Blake and Yates – and club officials see him as the ideal man to bridge the gap between the senior and junior clubs.

Essai added: “These are very exciting times for a club which was on the verge of going out of business only a few years ago. We should pay tribute to those who came and helped develop the reserve and youth teams, giving the committee time to undertake a thorough examination of the club structure and the process for bringing through young talent from Town Juniors.

“With Matt Short’s input we now feel we have the right people in the right positions to take the club forward even further. The focus in the long-term is very much on developing talent in the junior club which is good enough to play for the senior club – and building even stronger ties between the two.

“It became clear from talking to those within the junior club that it was good for the youngsters to be able to look up to people who have already gained good experience with Petersfield Town and played at a good level.

“We believe we now have the ideal people for those criteria and it’s looking good for the future of both Petersfield Town and Petersfield Town Juniors. And next season we will have our first ladies’ team and veterans’ team, meaning we are even more of a focal point for the town’s sporting community.”

■ Membership of Petersfield Town FC is due for renewal. Individual membership costs just £15, with a family membership available for only £20. Contact the club at clare.essai@virginmedia.com to find out more.

Release written and distributed by Dave Bowers, Petersfield Town’s PRO.