Development is key for King
By Adam Summers

Tuesday 10th August 2010

BRENDON King has insisted that his main objective is to produce players for the first team rather than win titles.

The second-string boss will no doubt be one of first-team manager Ian Hutchinson’s closest confidantes during the forthcoming campaign due to the vast knowledge he possesses of certain characters within the squad.

In what has so far been a glittering coaching career in the Dorset Premier League, King has played a key role in the development of current Terras’ stars, such as Sam Clarke, Alex Halloran and Lewis Whyton, to name a few, in super stints at Portland United and Chickerell United.

Not only does he know their respective temperaments and limitations but he also has a clear understanding of the challenge the players are facing, having made the step up and broken into the Terras’ first-team himself back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

King, whose aides include his assistant Mark Carter and ex-Portland boss Dave Kiteley, said: “Our brief from Hutch and Andy Mason has always been to bring players down here that are good enough to play in the first team and we have started to do that already.

“A lot of those lads have been given a go in pre-season and now we will just have to wait and see how they develop.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for them to stay at the club and play at a decent level but it is now up to them whether they take it or not.

“Over the course of a season there is always injuries and suspensions, and there is no doubt that some of them will be called upon and that is when they will need to be ready to impress.

“Our job is to help them do that and give them all the support they need. If we can get a handful of players in and around the first-team squad then we would have done our jobs. Achieving that would be worth a lot more than any title.”

Some fans have been questioning whether the crop of ex-Portland and Chickerell players at the club at present are good enough to compete in the Zamaretto Premier Division but King is adamant that a handful of them have the potential to rise to the challenge.

He added: “We would not have taken lads down with us if we did not think they were good enough.

“The questions we always ask ourselves when looking at players are do they possess the ability, do they possess the right character and temperament, and are they in the right age range?

“There is no doubt that you cannot to play 11 Dorset Premier League players in the Zamaretto Premier Division and expect them to be competitive for you but you can have three or four in and around the squad, and see how they progress.

“Steve Devlin is a prime example of that up at Dorchester Town. He played in the same DPL representative side as Alex Halloran and Lewis Whyton so it is possible for these lads to make the step up and flourish.

“However, people also have to understand that it is a big transition for them to make, and some will make it quicker than others.

“To go from the comfort zone of being one of the first names on the team sheet at their respective clubs to being on the fringes trying to prove yourself is not easy.

“The intensity in training is also a lot harder and it is going to take time for them to adapt to that. We are already seeing signs of that beginning to take shape but that change in mentality does not happen overnight.”

Clarke, Whyton and Halloran all trained with the Terras in the summer of 2009 when Matty Hale was in charge but ended returning to Dorset Premier League action.

King is now hoping they stick with the challenge and make the most of their potential, along with the likes of Ross Doidge, Richard Marshallsay, John Litherland and Dan Welch who are also bidding to make the step up.

He said: “Those players have nothing to lose. If they come down and give it a fair crack and it doesn’t work out then they can go away with no regrets. What they don’t want to do is get three or four years down the line and say they wish they had given it a better go.

“One season out of a player’s life is not much to risk on the opportunity of playing against better players, in better stadiums, in front of bigger crowds, and I am sure they will rise to the challenge.

“If you are not first choice, you have to work hard to earn that chance to show what you can do. That is the mentality at any good professional club and I think the lads are beginning to understand that, which is good to see.”

As well as budding players from Portland and Chickerell, King will also be keeping an eye out over the course of the season for potential acquisitions.

He said: “That is another one of our aims. We will be looking at all the local leagues and if there is a player that we feel could be good enough we will endeavour to bring him down.

“In fact, we have already had one lad down from Westland Sports called Mike Rousell. He has a knee injury at the moment but we are looking forward to having more of a look at him once he is back playing.

“And it is on that note that I would like to wish both Portland manager Stuart Heath and Chickerell boss Chris Wilson all the best for the forthcoming season.”