New coach Smith eyes return to top

FORMER Brisbane Roar championship-winning skipper Matt Smith is determined to return Brisbane City to the top tier of Australian football after being appointed the NPL Queensland club’s first-team coach.

Smith joined City in February from Gold Coast Knights as player, under-18 coach and director of football.

And while the 37-year-old defender is no longer City’s under-18 mentor, his full-time role at the former National Soccer League club has stepped up a notch after being named as the replacement for axed NPL coach Nick Green.

“I’m happy to accept the challenge,” Smith said of his new role.

“I am ambitious about coaching in the same way I was and still am ambitious about playing. I’m stepping into the unknown a little bit in terms of combining playing and coaching, but I’ve always been somewhat of a coach on the field so I’m very comfortable with it.”