SOCCER

THE longest serving president in Seaford United’s history will step down at the club’s AGM next month.

Willie Lynn and wife Liz have been involved with Seaford since 1978 and Willie is in the 16th year of a second stint as president having previously served for 10 years.

Liz has served several terms on the committee and has turned her hand to almost every volunteer job at the club.

The Lynns arrived in Melbourne from their native Scotland in August 1977 and North Seaford Reserve became their home away from home just a few months later.

It’s been like that ever since.

But the expectation of leaving the local area and moving to Pakenham within the next six months has prompted the Lynns’ curtain call and they seem comfortable with that idea.

“I’ll still be involved in a small way and I think Liz will be the same,” said Willie Lynn.

“I think we’ll leave the club in a fairly strong position.

“Financially we’re okay – we’re holding our own – and we’ve got around 20 teams at the club which isn’t too bad.”

This year the senior team finished third in State 5 South and went down 3-2 in its promotion play-off against Old Melburnians after conceding an 89th-minute goal.

It was Seaford’s first season back in State League ranks after announcing in February 2022 that it had withdrawn from Victoria’s premier community club competition.

A new squad assembled under the watchful eye of head coach Paul Williams and assistant Steve Keenan had gone within a whisker of clinching promotion and there’s a growing feeling that it can take that extra step next year.

So the Lynns can point to positive signs both onfield and off as they prepare to hand over the reins.

But one club stalwart who isn’t stepping down is Mornington head coach Adam Jamieson.

For the past few weeks Jamieson has weighed up his options having held informal discussions with two other clubs.

“When you’ve been there for so long you start thinking if you need another challenge and trying to be unselfish about it you wonder if the club needs to find someone else,” he said.

Jamieson told the Mornington committee on Friday afternoon that he had decided to stay.

It was just as well as he had no inkling of what was to take place later that evening at the club’s presentation night when he was given life membership of the Dallas Brooks outfit.

“Probably for the first time I had a couple of options but I didn’t want to do the wrong thing by Mornington and waited until everyone was back on board.

“We sat down on Wednesday night and had a really good chat for a couple of hours then around 1.30 on Friday afternoon I told the club that I wanted to stay.”

And Jamieson already has an eye on next season as he sets out again on the long journey towards securing an NPL berth.

“We probably need to bring another two or three in but I don’t think we’d need more than that.

“The ones we absolutely want are going to stay and I’ve already had a chat with a lot of the players.

“It’s a very good dressing room and when a player like David Stirton comes up to you and says it’s the best dressing room he’s been involved with that tells you something.”

Friday evening’s presentation night put an exclamation mark on the outstanding first season from Scottish import Rory Currie who won the club’s best and fairest, players’ player and golden boot awards.

Langwarrin also has finalised its senior coaching staff for next season.

Head coach Jamie Skelly has three assistants – Simon Storey, Adam Poole and Ben Caffrey – Lou Kastner is goalkeeping coach and Peter Tuckett is in charge of high performance.

Caffrey retains his role as under-21s head coach with Adam Poole and Alex Van Heerwarden as his assistants and Sean Skelly continues as team manager.

“I’m excited to have a coaching staff with experience at the very top level in Victoria and Australia who also understand the culture of Langwarrin as a club,” Jamie Skelly said.

“Together we can continue to build on the high performance culture that has been created here.”

In State 3 recently relegated Frankston Pines last week advertised the position of head coach of the senior men’s squad.

For the past few weeks former Peninsula Strikers gaffer Donn Delaney has been touted as the man most likely to succeed Kevin “Squizzy” Taylor.

It was thought that Delaney would already have been announced as the new coach but the committee decided to seek expressions of interest.

It’s believed that he is one of seven candidates who have applied for the position.

Pines also advertised for junior boys players in the under-15 and under-17 age groups.

The club remains determined to develop a junior program.

Pines president Lee Davies confirmed last week that the club would not need to vacate Monterey Reserve next season due to major drainage work carried out by council.

“The way it’s being done should take around six weeks and work is due to start in mid-October,” he said.

There also is news concerning Taylor as he pursues a coaching appointment for next season.

He was interviewed for the Doveton job but the Waratah Reserve outfit chose former Melbourne City, Western Sydney Wanderers and Dandenong City attacking midfielder Nick Kalmar.

Doveton made the Kalmar announcement late last week.

By then Taylor’s focus had switched to Comets Stadium and the vacant head coaching position there.

Taylor always is well prepared for interviews and he was able to present a coaching team when formally submitting his expression of interest.

It’s believed that Doncaster Rovers coach Steve Aivaliotis and well-known goalkeeping coach Peter Blasby were part of Taylor’s team.

In State 5 news Mount Eliza and Bryce Ruthven parted company last week with Ruthven keen to keep coaching.

“There are a few reasons why I won’t be coaching there but mainly because I don’t want to go through another season like the last and couldn’t see things changing,” Ruthven said.

“There are a few challenges coaching at that club.

“Having no support and expecting the senior coach to do everything isn’t the right way to run a men’s program.”

Ruthven is a former Somerville Eagles player but won’t be an applicant for the head coaching role there which recently became vacant.

First published in the Mornington News – 3 October 2023