SOCCER - More goals the solution, says elevated Wheatley

North Force's director of coaching Dean Wheatley has been elevated to a more hands-on role for the Northland football club's 2008 season.
The former Lincoln City academy director has been given a more managerial role with North Force's three senior teams and in the upcoming season will be responsible for team selections as well as coaching. He plans to continue the progress the club has made over the last season but with a very simple difference.
"We've got to score more goals and concede less - it's that simple. I think we were a bit naive last year and that's because it was a young squad, we didn't put games to bed like we should have," Wheatley said.
"We outplayed most of the teams we came across but we just missed a hell of a lot of good chances to kill games off and then got punished at the other end - if we can eradicate that and score more goals, I think we've got the makings of a good season."
Wheatley hasn't ruled out making a few additions to it and is investigating the idea of strengthing the team by pulling a couple of skilled Aucklanders into the side.
"I've already spoken to couple of experienced players down in Auckland but it's early days yet and I don't know if they're interested yet - it's too early to say - but certainly we feel we've already got a good squad to build on what we did last year."
Last year's first-team coach Paul Cross won't play any part in the club's management structure in 2008 but he is far from bitter about it.
"They're trying to refine things a bit and have gone for a English-style manager scenario and I'm comfortable with that, because at the end of the day it's not about me, it's what is good for Northland football," Cross said.
"If Dean wants to take over the reins then he deserves the opportunity to give it a go. I'm obviously young enough to have another go in the future and really it's just a matter of whether it's next year or the year after that," he said.
North Force chairman Chas Flower said Wheatley's experience and his ability to coach the coaches, as well as his role in talent identification among the area's juniors, had all made him the best man for the job.
"We were happy with the way things were developing last year and we want to continue that development and tap into the vast knowledge he has," Flower said.
Wheatley's work as United Soccer One's Northland development officer gave him the opportunity to identify talented junior players in the area and hopefully recruit them into the North Force reserve team, Flower said.
Jerome Luiten, this year's assistant first-team coach, will continue in that role in the season to come and Paul Herbert will also continue his involvement with the development squad - again with the title of assistant coach.
Bruce Plunkett, this year's first team captain, would continue playing but would also take over the assistant coaching position in the women's team.
The assistant coaches will all operate under Wheatley's direction.
Meanwhile, the competition that the North Force men will be playing in next season is still up in the air after a proposed United Soccer One premier league continues to gain traction.
"We could still end up playing in a United Soccer One Federation league which would put us up against the big boys, you know the Albanys and East Coast Bays ... or we could be back in the Northern League ... it's ongoing - I suppose it's a matter of watching this space," Wheatley said.