STEVE Foley says he is looking forward to helping Harwich and Parkeston's youngsters blossom after agreeing to extend his coaching role with the club.

The Colchester United legend, who has coached in the Premier League with Norwich City, will continue helping out at the Royal Oak, advising boss Mike Wallace and his assistant Gary Kioussis‬⁩.

Foley says he is relishing the prospect of helping the Shrimpers flourish, as they prepare to embark on another Thurlow Nunn League first division south season.

Foley said: "What I'm aiming for is trying to get the next Steve Foley coming out of the area.

"I'm a giver and I want people to have the sort of career I've had.

"Alright, I wasn't a top, top player but I played professionally and I've coached.

"I've done most things so I just want to pass it on and hope that someone else will get that bug which I obviously had when I was younger.

"I know the (Harwich) chairman Tony Armstrong because we played in the same youth team together, many years ago.

"They contacted me and said that they wanted a little bit of help.

"I went down to see Tony and Mike (Wallace) and had a little chat.

"I said I can't get down as much as you'd probably like but I will when I can and we'll have a little chat and do a session when I can and that's how it was.

"They'd obviously liked what I'd done and I'd quite enjoyed it so I said I'd give it a go.

"It suits me because it's just down the road, from Manningtree."

Foley made more than 300 league and cup appearances for Colchester between 1971 and 1981 after emerging through the youth ranks at Layer Road.

He also had several caretaker spells as U's boss, along with coaching at both Ipswich and Norwich.

Foley added: "Harwich are now looking to bring a lot of youth through, with one or two experienced players to help them.

"What I've got to do which I've got a knack of doing is coach what is in front of me.

"You have to adjust to whatever you've got in front of you.

"They have one or two good boys and I think talking to Mike (Wallace), they're going to go with a lot of young kids because I don't think that they can get relegated out of that league.

"That's up my street really, because when I first started coaching with Colchester we were in the South East Counties league and in the bottom half every year.

"But I managed to bring through the likes of Paul Abrahams and Karl Duguid and that's the aim.

"I can remember Graham Taylor always saying to me that the most important thing as a youth-team coach is having the best player on the pitch, not the result."