COLWYN Bay have made a shrewd move by appointing Neil Coverley as its new director of football.

The current assistant manager will assume the position at the end of the campaign as the Seagulls brace themselves for a return to the Welsh pyramid system.

There are not many around that care more about the club than Coverley, a former captain who has played a leading role in their recent resurgence, working closely with manager Craig Hogg to form a talented young group of players all pulling in the same direction.

Whilst the squad will have a completely different look to it next term, giving Coverley additional responsibility in preparing Bay for the move will undoubtedly stand them in good stead going forward, and will also be a strong indication to the current boss that the club is heading in the right direction.

Coverley is a well-respected figure throughout the north Wales region and there will be plenty of talent that will be more than willing to ply their trade at the Four Crosses Construction Arena next season primarily because of his and Hogg’s overall influence on the set-up, and the management duo have a great deal of respect for each other which has brought some hugely impressive results of late.

Their immediate ambitions will be dependent on what tier the Football Association of Wales put them in, and they will have a bullseye on their back given their standing within the region and the fact they are a big club heading back into the pyramid.

This will have pros and cons, but the decisions made by chairman Bill Murray and the Bay board since the decision to move back to the domestic game can give their fan base plenty of cause for encouragement going forward.

Some of the football they have played this season has been nothing short of outstanding, and there is a will to win within the group and a strong character that was seldom seen in previous regimes during what has been a difficult recent period in the club’s history.

It is clear they are playing for the badge and for the management team, and although some supporters are disappointed with the move back into the Welsh system, they can at least be reassured by the fact that the club is in very safe hands from an on-the-field perspective.

Coverley has been a massive part of that, and his well-deserved promotion to a more influential role within the club can only be a good thing.