THE new man to take charge of organising soccer development in Craven has been appointed and will start work in January, (writes Tony Simpson).

Simon Armstrong, a 25-year-old from Skegness, via Boston United, Port Vale, Leeds Metro University, Guiseley and more successful coaching courses than you can shake a stick at, is the man giving the challenging task of revitalising football in the district.

Not only will he have the job of putting in place new structures which will help youngsters to develop their skills and move on to bigger and better things if they have the talent, but, more immediately, he will have the singularly onerous task of sorting out the use of the new floodlit, all-weather pitch at Sandylands.

That challenge alone is certain to demand the Wisdom of Solomon - and the rest - for in apportioning best use of the handsome new facility, he is bound to tread on a few toes. The grid which marks out the diary will contain all the pitfalls of a cleverly designed minefield.

That said, the third generation playing surface, the only one of its kind in the area, is a tremendous vehicle to use in regenerating the game and driving it forward. Not surprisingly, the new man is relishing the task of starting with a blank canvas, formulating a blueprint for the future and then having hands-on involvement in taking it forward.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for me in developing my career as a coach and a situation which I believe has endless possibilities for football in the community," he says. "Obviously my first priority will be to get the new facility organised to deliver the best service we can to all sections of the football community and other users.

"We have to decide who will use the facility and when, what arrangements should be made for annual events and what links we can develop with Bradford City, for example, who have already expressed an interest in our plans and in running courses.

"We have school use to consider as another very important element of the package, so I know that putting together the time-table will provide plenty of headaches.

"All I am asking at this stage is that would-be users appreciate that the demand will be great - we already have plenty of people wanting to book places - and putting everyone in just the slot which fulfils their particular requirements will be almost impossible. We'll be doing our utmost to get the optimum usage for the whole spectrum and I hope would-be users will accept the difficulties we will face.

"One bonus so far as planning is concerned it that the pitch will not come into use until March, so we have a couple of months to sort things out and get a calendar in place."

While the basic mechanics of getting the facility on stream will be the initial target, in the longer term, his objective is to help youngsters in Craven realise and develop their footballing talents.

"We have to start at the bottom and move forward," he says. "I'm sure Craven will be a very fertile area for raising gifted young players and my role will be to put in place the support structures that will help them to make the most of their talents and also a defined exit route for the really gifted youngsters who may have a career in the game.

"That's a big challenge for me and everyone with football at heart and one of my first jobs will be to meet as many of the people who are currently involved in the sport as possible to find out how they see the future and what needs to be done. The Craven Football Forum will, I am sure, have plenty to tell me and I'll be there is listen."

Armstrong's background in the sport gives him impeccable credentials. A pupil at Skegness Grammar, he first played with Boston United first team as a 17-year-old before having a season on the professional books at Port Vale.

When he wasn't offered a contract, he immediately moved to Plan B and a physical education course at Leeds Metropolitan University, where he played for the university side and duly obtained his degree.

Since then he has been working with John Hall, the Leeds Football Development Officer, running courses and organising festivals and generally being involved as a lieutenant in a major city environment.

From next month he will take on his rural brief, working with Sports Development Office Bruce Dinsmore at Craven DC's offices at Skipton Crematorium. It promises to be one of the hottest seats in Craven sport.