Harvey’s head start

JIM Harvey had the inside track on Athletic even before he landed his new job.


The former Morecambe and Stalybridge manager, brought in by Darren Kelly as part of his coaching team, reckons it won’t take long to get to grips with what the squad are capable of when the players return for pre-season training at the end of this month.

And the 57-year-old from Lurgan revealed he has had family help in getting to grips with the players’ capabilities.

“I have been well-informed by my daughter-in-law, who has been a season-ticket holder here for years,” Harvey told the Chronicle.

“She is a massive supporter. The fact I have come here to do a job has made her life!

“She has kept me up to date with players and what has happened with the club in recent years.

“There aren’t too many individuals who I know apart from Mikey Jones at Tranmere. I know about his background and upbringing.

“At the moment we are racing through the DVDs so they become familiar.

“But when you have had 40-odd years in football, you suss these boys out within five minutes on the training ground.

“The good thing is, they showed signs of achieving something last season in pushing for the play-offs.

“It didn’t work out in the end, but the potential is in there. If there is room to bring in two or three more then it is very promising.”

Harvey left as boss of Stalybridge in October, 2013, and has since been involved in setting up an academy at Chester with a link to a local college.

Now, though, he is relishing the chance of getting to grips with a new role that incorporates scouting responsibilities.

And he says that the drive shown by Kelly is already having an effect.

“You pick up straight away the enthusiasm Darren has for the job,” Harvey added. “That desire to do well will help him and coming into a club the size of Oldham, he has a tremendous opportunity.

“Anything they are short of with experience I have in abundance.

“Darren has seen me work and knows what I am about. He knows what he is going to get.

“You only have to listen to Darren talk — the adrenaline is pumping.

“Darren is such a positive person and he has set his sights on being successful.

“It is a really strong trait, the positivity of his approach. It has already rubbed off on me. It is infectious.

“It is a real plus straight away.”

Meanwhile, Kelly could be about to land a new goalkeeper in Michael Ingham.

The 34-year-old free agent is being heavily linked with a move to SportsDirect.com Park as a player and goalkeeping coach, offering back-up and advice to promising Joel Coleman.

Ingham has been offered a new contract at York City, where he played alongside Kelly in the 2008-09 season.

“He is somebody I would like to work with at some point from a staff point of view,” Kelly said.

“I have had a chat with him about coming to Oldham as a number two/goalkeeping coach because he is getting to that stage of his career but nothing has materialised from that.

“I’ve known him a long time and I’ve seen what he can do on the coaching side with the kids at York. He’s very good and has a lot of potential in that role.”