Jets goalie coach Neil Young back for keeps
By JAMES GARDINER
July 21, 2014, 9:30 p.m.
NEIL Young broke into the A-League as a player at the Newcastle Jets. Now the Perth-born gloveman has returned determined to establish himself as a coach.
Young conducted his first session as the Jets’ goalkeeper coach yesterday. He replaces Bob Catlin, who along with Craig Deans was released at the end of last season.
‘‘To come back here and work with goalkeepers the calibre of Mark Birighitti and Ben Kennedy is a great opportunity,’’ Young said.
‘‘Newcastle is a second home for me, and to work with a team which gave me my first opportunity ... I just want to do the club proud.
‘‘Biris and BK are two strong keepers. If you look around the league, we probably have the strongest No.2, if we have a No.2. They are both No.1 in my eyes.’’
Young, 34, spent two seasons at the Jets from 2009-10 after trialling successfully for a contract.
He made his A-League debut in round 14 of his maiden campaign and played nine consecutive games before being collected in the face by the boot of then Gold Coast striker Shane Smeltz.
Young sustained a broken nose that required surgery, then suffered an adverse reaction to antibiotics that left him fighting for his life.
He made it back on the field a year later for the Jets youth team.
At the end of that season, he was approached by Perth and moved home.
But his body struggled with the daily grind of training, and he made the decision to move into coaching.
Young had two years on the Glory coaching staff but was let go at the end of last season.
‘‘As a coach, I try to incorporate into training what I used to enjoy as player,’’ he said.
‘‘I have taken a bit from every coach I have had all the way through.
‘‘Jonathan Gould, who is now at Wellington, was a big influence.
‘‘I also put my stamp on things. I like to do things a certain way, and I think it works.
‘‘The town of Newcastle wants people who work hard and play for the shirt.
‘‘That’s what I said to them this morning. Give me work ethic and the rest will come with it.’’
Birighitti was in the preliminary Socceroos squad for the World Cup and was poised to join Bayer Leverkusen before a change in manager at the Bundesliga club.
Young spoke with Socceroos goalkeeper boss Tony Franken at a Level II goalkeeper coaching course in Tasmania last week.
‘‘Tony gave me some things Mark needs to work on and I have some ideas as well,’’ he said.
‘‘BK finished last season strongly and did well. He did well when I was a player here. He has the experience, maybe just needs to be pushed a little harder.
‘‘I will sit down with Biris, BK and [youth team keeper] John [Solari] one-on-one and have a chat about goals and what I expect from them.’’
Young was one of two new faces at training.
Northern Ireland international Jonny Steele completed his first session with the club after arriving on Saturday from the US, where he played alongside Tim Cahill at the New York Red Bulls, producing some nice touches and a lethal left foot in a series of finishing drills.
Steele, a box-to-box midfielder, is expected to help cover the departure of captain Ruben Zadkovich to Perth.
The Jets remain in the market for a holding midfielder and confirmed that former Brisbane Roar championship winner Erik Paartalu was one of a number of options on the table.
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