Pompey bide time over coaching role

The Blues are hunting for a new academy coach to succeed Mikey Harris, who leaves the club next week.

Harris is taking up a new role with Premier League Brighton’s Category One academy.

That will see the respected Pompey coach end a three-and-a-half-year stay with the club after joining from Salisbury.

Chief executive Mark Catlin explained the club are going through a thorough process to find Harris’ successor.

They will avoid the temptation to make a quick-fire decision over a role which is key to helping the development of the club’s scholars.

Catlin said: ‘The recruitment process is continuing at the moment.

‘Quite rightly, the appointment of staff these days isn’t like it used to be.

‘It’s not a case of a friend of a certain person gets the job without an interview.

‘Generally, throughout football and business, things have evolved.

‘You have to go through the procedure of inviting applicants from the wider football pool.

‘We are currently going through that process.’

Academy boss Mark Kelly will continue to oversee the under-18 set-up Harris focused on, with support from Shaun North and Liam Daish. Catlin stated there’s no timescale for the appointment.

He said: ‘We’re in the process of collecting CVs and we’re comfortable interviews will start in the next couple of weeks.

‘There’s BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) and safeguarding procedures to go through. There’s no timescale. It’s not the time – it’s getting the right person.’