EFL: Scoresby coach Kristian Bardsley re-signs for 2021
Re-signed Scoresby coach Kristian Bardsley explains his plan of attack in preparation for taking on a new division in 2021, and how the EFL Division 3 club could look to bolster its squad.
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Re-signed Scoresby coach Kristian Bardsley says his club will look to build from within as it prepares for next season in a new division.
The Magpies were relegated from Division 2 – the EFL’s third tier – at the conclusion of the 2019 season after finishing bottom with a 3-15 record and were set to compete in Division 3 from this year.
Bardsley recently put pen to paper for 2021 after he returned to the Magpies’ helm following last season and said the club would back its youth in 2021.
He previously coached the club into the EFL’s top-flight, winning the league’s second-tier premiership in 2006.
“The benefit the club has, is we’re going to do it the right way in terms of build it with the kids coming through and we’ll add some players that we need to add that will just be needs players,” Bardsley said.
“But we won’t be going out recruiting trying to replace everything – the best thing we can do is build it with a young side and these guys can stay together for five, six, seven, eight years, and continue to grow and learn together.”
Bardsley said the ruck division, mostly shouldered by Jarrod Hicks in 2019, would be an area the club would look to bolster to support the big man.
“Ruck is probably the key position that we need to fill in terms of giving Jarrod a bit of support … but either way, whether we do get someone else or we don’t, we’ve got the stock to get through that as well,” he said.
“What we’re looking at doing is Jarrod will still do most of it but having someone to support him.
“I’ve also spoken to a couple of others from different divisions, but they haven’t given me an answer yet.”
Attention now turns to retaining the playing list of which Bardsley is confident will stick together.
“We’re pretty confident we’ll have everyone on in the list come again next year, which is a really good blend of the older, senior players with a really good group of young kids coming through,” he said.
“We see it as a good balance as eventually, when the older guys retire, that the young guys would have played enough to continue it on and keep building towards our ultimate goal, which is to move up the divisions.”
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