Former Blackfield & Langley manager Glenn Burnett to join Sholing coaching team

But, out of respect to his old club, he will not be involved in the Boatmen’s Sydenhams Premier Division trip to Gang Warily on Friday (7.45pm) should it survive the new year deluge.

Having assisted Ashley Vickers in leading Blackfield to their first top-flight title last season, former Romsey and New Milton boss Burnett was handed the reins during the summer when Vickers departed.

The Watersiders were going well, making the last 32 of the FA Vase and again forcing their way into the title mix, but he left Gang Warily last month following a fall-out over team selection with Blackfield’s director of football and financial backer Sam Davies. A former Sholing player, Burnett retains a good relationship with Boatmen’s boss Dave Diaper who wasted no time inviting him to be part of the coaching set-up at Portsmouth Road.

Diaper explained: “I’ve known Glenn a long time and he needs to get back to enjoying his football.

“When I heard he had left Blackfield I made a courtesy call and said that if he was looking to get back into the game, why not come and join us.

“He’s a good lad and will enhance our coaching staff.

“Glenn likes the way we do things at Sholing and, in his own words, he wants to come along and have a look at the way the club’s run.”

Diaper already has a sizeable backroom staff behind him. Mick Brown (assistant manager), Mick Marsh (coach), Kev Harnett (coach) and Lee Webber (goalkeeping coach) have long been part of the furniture at the Silverlake Arena, while veteran targetman and former Winchester City boss James Taylor, pictured below, joined as player-coach during the summer.

Taylor has this week attracted seven days’ notice of approach from divisional neighbours Folland Sports, but Diaper stressed that, if he were to leave, it would have nothing whatsoever to do with Burnett’s arrival.

Quizzed on Taylor’s future, Diaper said: “I always take the view when a club puts in notice of approach that they’ve already spoken to the player.

“I’ve left a message with James to have a chat with him, but I think he’s frustrated that he’s not getting enough games.

“He still sees himself as a player, which I fully understand, but he was brought in on the coaching side with the possibility of progressing into management at a later date and as a Plan B player, so to speak.

“I’ve said I won’t waiver the seven days from Follands, but I will respect whatever James decides to do.

“This is a separate thing completely to Glenn (Burnett) coming here,” Diaper added.

“At 37 or 38, James has got to decide what route he wants to go down.

“He obviously wants to play more, but I don’t know if Follands would play him every game. Danny (Bowers, Follands boss) will have his own ideas on that.

“I’ve got Lee Wort, Ashley Jarvis and youngsters coming through – plus we are speaking to another forward – so it was always going to be difficult for James to get game time here other than 20 minutes off the bench.

“At the end of the day it’s down to James what he wants to do.”

Confirming his interest in Taylor, Follands manager Bowers – whose side entertain Whitchurch on Saturday – said: “We first enquired about James in the summer. “We’ve put in notice of approach and we’ll see what happens.

“He keeps sitting on the bench for Sholing and we could do with someone to take the burden off Ryan Long.

“Ryan does everyone’s running, shutting down and goalscoring and it isn’t fair on the lad to carry the load on his own.”