KEV O’Donnell will be at the helm of Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division side Felixstowe & Walton United for the 2013/14 season.

The club’s vice-chairman Tony Barnes, in his role as Director of Football, said: “It gives me great pleasure to confirm that Felixstowe & Walton United will continue to be managed and coached by Kevin O’Donnell and all his current backroom staff for the 2013-2014 season.

“I have been extremely pleased and impressed by the professionalism and enthusiasm shown by Kevin since his appointment earlier this season and he has guided the Seasiders to a respectable league position without any of the relegation worries we have endured in recent seasons.

“The League Cup semi-final and the Suffolk Premier Cup win over Ipswich Town have also shown what we could be capable of achieving next season with the addition of a few more players.”

With the anticipated managerial merry go round expected in the coming weeks, Barnes added: “We want Kevin to be able to open dialogue with players with the confidence that we have a settled club. A realistic budget for this level of football has been agreed and I have every belief that Felixstowe & Walton United can build on this year and fully expect to be competing higher up the league table as well as enjoying one or two decent cup runs in the coming season.”

With reference to the senior structure, Barnes added: “The club had a serious look at bringing in new blood to the under-18 set up, but felt the current players and coaches deserved to continue as they are, and as a club it was felt that following the enormous support given by the local community to gaining permission to keep our lights up, we owed it to that community to maintain a youth section that is fundamentally built around local boys and girls.”

O’Donnell said: “With my position at Felixstowe & Walton United having been confirmed I can now start to build a squad that will be capable of challenging for silverware next season. I am really excited about the future of the Seasiders and am looking forward to playing my part in helping to make the club a dominant force in non-league Football.”

The club’s press officer Phil Griffiths commented: “Great news for the club and the town, we have a vibrant youth section, additional ladies’ team starting up and a strong committee. There are still many issues to address with regard to the ground standards but with the floodlight issue resolved and a stable base to work from, the club can lay the foundations for a really exciting future over the next couple of seasons.”