Captain Burgess fills the breach as player-coach

Scott Burgess has stepped in to replace Bruce Plunkett as North Force coach for 2011 and will face a year of transition in more ways than one.
The 2010 coach received an offer of work in Australia - a lucrative one-year contract that he couldn't refuse - leaving his captain the best man available to take over the reins as player-coach.
He said Plunkett regretted leaving North Force in the lurch after agreeing to coach the team again, but he would do his best to fill the void the coach has left.
"I hope it will be a good move, I'm looking at it as just continuing the team developing the way Bruce did and I'm looking at it as a one-year job because hopefully he'll be back again next year."
A lot has changed for Burgess since last season. He was a fulltime coach for United Soccer (now Northern Football Federation) last year but when they re-organised, his hours were to be reduced so he took up an adult apprenticeship as an arborist.
Coaching the senior team will be a big step up from the North Force under-17s Burgess was coaching last year but it is a challenge he is prepared to meet the way he plays - leaving nothing in reserve.
"It's a big challenge alright, especially playing as well as coaching, but having Dave Alabaster and Paul Cross involved will take a bit of pressure off," he said.
Having the two most experienced coaches in the area helping out with training will definitely assist Burgess and new North Force development coach Owen Liiv develop in their new positions. Cross will also be on the sidelines on matchdays for home games allowing Burgess to concentrate on playing.
The role of player-coach is not always an easy one, as Cross well knows.
"I've done it myself and I know it's not the easiest of positions - when results are going your way everything is fine and dandy but when you have back to back losses and the players are starting to point the finger at the coach, it can make life very uneasy," he said.
Cross and Alabaster discussed Burgess' appointment with the team's senior members and that confirmed their feeling that he was the right man for the job.
"Scott's reasonably qualified in terms of coaching but most of his experience has been with juniors. The important thing is he has the respect of the players, which is an important thing to have. If you haven't got that you're fighting a losing battle from the start," Cross added.
The squad has lost five of its regular starters from last season in Chris Peck, Thomas Taylor, Murray Wootten, Keegan Baddeley and Nathan Steele.
"But we've got Steve Schimmel and Calvin Erick back from injury so they'll help fill that gap, and we're planning to promote some of the under-17 boys from last year and a couple of the reserves."
Daniel Ridgely, Jamie Blowers, Conor Brown and last year's reserve team captain, Sam Rout, are likely to get opportunites to prove themselves in the senior side this year. Burgess' job will be, at the beginning at least, to consolidate his side's position in the Northern League Division One.