Pic: Ilkeston FC
ILKESTON'S academy director Paul Holland has stepped up to become the Robins' new head coach after five years with the club.
Following a playing career that included 300 Football League appearances for the likes of Mansfield Town, Sheffield United, Chesterfield and Bristol City, Holland moved into coaching.
He re-joined former club Mansfield as a youth coach and served as assistant manager to Peter Shirtliff and then Billy Dearden.
Holland also had a brief spell in charge of the Stags after Dearden left in March 2008, but he was unable to stop the club from being relegated out of the Football League at the end of the 2007-08 season and was sacked.
He has been involved with Ilkeston since the club's formation in 2010, initially as a tutor and coach before becoming academy director in 2015. Holland replaces Andy Watson in the Robins' hot-seat following his departure in April.
Holland told the club's website: “I've been at the club for five years now and seen things from behind the scenes. Kevin Wilson came in and set the club up from nothing and did a great job, Gavin Strachan and Andy Watson carried on that tradition.
“The first team at any club is always the most important team and it's important to the fans that they have a successful first team as well as a successful academy.
“The academy is obviously a massive part of the football club, but to move the first team forward, we need to bring in some senior players alongside the elite of our academy.
“You can't win everything with kids, the model works in that we try and move players on, but we do need to bring senior players in to help the younger players. If you've got the right players and the right experience around them, then I'm sure we can get the first team where it needs to be.”
Holland has already secured his first signing as head coach, securing goalkeeper Ross Durrant on a one-year contract.
The young stopper spent time on loan with the Robins, as well as Mickleover Sports, last season and arrives permanently at the New Manor Ground from Nottingham Forest.
On the club's new boss, CEO Nigel Harrop added: “These are exciting times for Ilkeston as Paul brings a wealth of football knowledge to the first team. He knows the club inside out having been involved with the academy scholars since his arrival at the club.
“When the head coach position became vacant, Paul came to me with his own strong ideas of how to take the club forward, using a mixture of experienced players and academy scholars.”
