Liam Hardy grasps opportunity to get Maltby Main moving again
THE new manager of Maltby Main wants to pick up the pieces and lead the club to better times after a patchy first half of the season.
Previous boss James Kaye stepped down last week after seven months in charge. Players have departed with him and the club is pulling in the belt financially.
It makes for a challenge for new gaffer Liam Hardy and his assistant, Leon Osborne, but neither are coming in blind.
Both have worked with Kaye since the summer and are familiar with the remaining personnel and what could be possible with them.
"I know the club and a lot of the lads who have been on the brink and the young lads who are already here,” said Hardy, who will step up from number 2 to take charge of his first game against South Leeds on Saturday (3pm).
"There has obviously been a bit of a budget cut and with James leaving there is player loyalty to him and money plays a bit part. People have moved on to keep their money up.
"But this gives a good opportunity for the young lads to get in the team and keep a shirt.
"If you have the right people and they are willing to buy in, they can run through brick walls for you sometimes and do you good instead of having big players on big money. Sometimes that doesn’t work out."
Hardy has played at a good level with the likes of Darlington, Harrogate Town, Worksop Town and Matlock Town while Osborne has league appearances to his name from his early days at Bradford City.
"I think between us both we have some good experience,” said Hardy. “We’ve been there and done it.
"The chairman has said there is no expectation. They (the committee) are not expecting a lot with the budget cut and the other things that have been going on. We’ll just take it as it comes and everything else is a bonus.”
Maltby are ninth in the Northern Counties East League Division One, a sizeable seven points away from the play-offs frame.
Weather permitting, Saturday takes them to take on a South Leeds side who are third bottom and coming off four straight defeats and haven’t played since December 19.
Both sides were sidelined by the weather last weekend, offering a bit more preparation time.
“We had a training session on Saturday and we’re hoping to get one in this week,” added Hardy, who combines playing with coaching.
"I was going to play last Saturday but with us taking over I want to step back a bit more to watch and that’s why we’ve signed a striker, Blake Freeman, from Sheffield FC.
"We have a good run of games coming up and a chance to collect a few points.
“South Leeds have lost some players as well and have been going through some turmoil so if the weather holds out this is a good one to go into. I’m pretty excited to be honest.”