Ambitious Malone keen to lift PSNI up into the Premiership
FOR most of us, a call from the PSNI to interrupt a hard-earned holiday would be a most unnerving experience.
But Colin Malone is hoping a buzzing mobile during a Dubai break has launched a journey that will ultimately lead to the Danske Bank Premiership.
That initial phone call and subsequent discussions have paved the way for the former Glenavon boss to join Ian Campbell as joint-manager at PSNI FC and, as with any job the Lurgan man takes on, he brings great ambition.
His last post, a three-and-ahalf-year stint at Lurgan Celtic, was filled with an openly-held dream of taking the club to the Premiership for the first time, until it ended abruptly when he left in March. Now that he has taken on a new role, it’s reasonable to suggest he still carries the same drive, with PSNI also seeking a first spell in Northern Ireland football’s top tier.
“When I was speaking to the club, I had to ask about Premiership football,” he admitted. “When you take a job, you want to reach for that next level all the time so that was important.”
While PSNI’s current Newforge home would not meet the required standards to secure a Premiership licence, a plan to ground-share with an existing top-flight team is already in place, should the need arise in the immediate future.
And with a view to a longterm solution, moves to upgrade the club’s own facilities are also afoot.
Malone continued: “If we can get a team together and keep them together then we have as good a chance as anyone.”
Also arriving at the Championship side is former Carrick Rangers and Linfield Under-19 coach Phil Lewis.
While his task as head coach will be to work with the current crop, Malone is already directing
his attentions to adding to the panel come the January transfer window.
“Ian (Campbell) will take care of all of the team selections for the next few weeks while I get a look at the squad and see what we have there,” he said. “I’m already making phone calls with regards to improving the panel come January. I’m not exactly sure of all of our strengths and weaknesses yet but there are a few players there who can give us a boost.”
The new additions to the setup arrive after former assistant manager Jamesy Kirk resigned to end his five-year spell at the club.
Joint-manager Campbell said: “I’d like to thank Jamesy for his huge contribution to the club over the last five years. He will be a hard person to replace but our additions to the coaching team show our commitment to building on the foundations that Jamesy helped put in place. It’s an exciting time for the club.”
PSNI are just two points off their aim of a top-half position with the split fast approaching come the New Year. First up for the new management team is a visit of third-placed Newry City on Saturday afternoon.