Foster to assess his staff before recruiting

BUT NANCEKIVELL WILL BE KEPT ON PILGRIMS' COACHING TEAM

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

IAN Foster has no immediate plans to make any changes to the backroom staff at Plymouth Argyle after his appointment as head coach.

The 47-year-old admitted long-serving first team coach Kevin Nancekivell would be ‘a great help to me’ as he settles into his role at Home Park. Foster will assess all of the staff in their current roles before deciding whether any additions are needed, with his priority being to do what is best for the players.

Argyle lost not only manager Steven Schumacher when he went to their Championship rivals Stoke City last month, but he took assistant boss Mark Hughes and coaches Darren Behcet and Peter Cavanagh to the bet365 Stadium as well.

Nancekivell remained at Home Park, as did head physio Gareth Law and head of fitness and conditioning Elliot Turner, while academy goalkeeping coach Rhys Wilmot took on first-team duties.

Foster said: “Kevin is going to be a great help to me. He was straight on the phone to me on Friday once we got the deal over the line. I know from the players, the management team, the board about the wonderful job he does and how well respected he is within the club and beyond.

“One of the first things everyone wants to ask is ‘Who are you bringing in?’ I said to Andrew (Parkinson, Argyle’s CEO) and the board that it’s an opportunity for me to come in and assess everybody, without coming in and saying ‘I need a new this, a new that, a new the other’.

“The people here have done wonderful jobs over the last few years and they should take enormous credit for that. It would be unfair of me just to come in and say ‘I have got a better X, Y or Z and these are coming in regardless of what the other people have done.