GLENN Snell is relishing taking over the reins as coach at Felixstowe & Walton United next season.

Snell, who joined the Seasiders for his second spell with the club last September, is taking over as coach from Andy Clarke, who has stepped down from his position as joint manager with Kevin Witchalls.

The 26-year-old, who holds a coveted UEFA B licence, was previously coach at Ryman League Division One North side Sudbury, while he was out of the game for a year through injury.

He said: “At AFC Sudbury I was No.3 behind the manager (Nicky Smith) and his assistant (Chris Tracey), which meant I didn’t get to have any input on matchdays.

“What appealed to me about taking on the position of coach at Felixstowe is that I will be taking over from Andy Clarke, who took all the training and ran the majority of things on matchdays.

“Kevin will have the final say, but I will have a big say and that is what attracted me to the job.

“I am obviously disappointed that Andy decided to stand down, but I am happy to take over the reins.”

Snell, who will still be registered as a player but only be used in an emergency, is in no doubt that Felixstowe will make more of an impact next season on the Premier Division, after successfully staving off the threat of relegation last season.

He said: “The players are better than what they showed last season. There is nothing to be scared of in the Ridgeons League and we are a better team than fifth or sixth bottom.

“Our form towards the end of the season was not that of a team who had been fighting against relegation. I feel if we can add a couple of more players to the squad that we had at the end of the season then we can push on next season.”

Snell may be only 26 but he is vastly experienced at this level, and spent around six years being coached by Danny Laws, the highly-respected Needham Market manager, firstly at the Bury Football School and then when he later played for Needham.

“I am obviously experienced at this level having played in the Ridgeons League for ten years, so I know how teams play, and I also know certain players’ strengths and weaknesses.

“Danny Laws has been a big influence on me as a coach after playing for him for so long, and hopefully some of his knowledge and experience has rubbed off on me,” added Snell.