DORCHESTER Town captain Franklyn Clarke said he would “give his all” after being appointed as the Magpies’ academy manager.

The midfielder has been working towards his UEFA B License and has now been given his first managerial post at his own club, a huge opportunity for both Clarke and the youngsters.

Clarke said that coaching was something he has always wanted to do and, after making more than 50 appearances for the Magpies, he has plenty of expertise the young players can learn from.

“I will give these lads every bit of help I can from my experiences in the game to help them be the best players they can.

“They are better players than I was when I was at their age. It would be fantastic to get some of the academy players in to the first team. I’m really excited and will give my all to this role.

“As soon as I was offered it I knew it made sense, especially as I’m a first team player and the captain it just made sense.

“I understand what it means to play for this club and I know what it takes to play in the first team. I hope I can pass that down to the youngsters.”

The new academy manager had to jump straight into action with the academy first team after only taking his first training session the evening before.

In the end they ran out 4-3 winners in a back and forth battle against London Tigers. Goals from Lewis Harrington, Jack Steele, Charlie Gosney and Joel Hewitt gave the young Magpies their first home win of the season.

From that one training session and match though, Clarke said there was a lot to be impressed with: “During our first training session they took it all on board and their roles and responsibilities and they worked hard during the game and deserved their last minute winner.

“They showed really good character to not let their heads drop after they went from 3-1 up to 3-3 and that’s why they deserved the win.

“It wasn’t really about the result though, I was more interested in seeing them play to see if they could take on board the things we were telling them and to see if they were good listeners.”

Asked whether he would like to play alongside any of the prospects he said: “Yeah, there’s a few of them that have a chance. They all have the potential to do it talent-wise but are they willing to take the information on board?

“You can have all the ability in the world, but you have to be a good listener. Then it just comes down to how badly they want to do it.”