8:53am Tuesday 7th July 2009
By Scott Wilson
HE might have overseen his first training session as an assistant manager yesterday, but Darlington number two Dean Windass is still hoping to play in the majority of his side’s matches this season.
Windass was calling the shots as the Quakers continued their pre-season preparations at their new Aykley Heads training base in Durham, having agreed to join long-time associate Colin Todd in the North-East at the end of last month.
The 40-year-old striker is keen to move into management in the future, and is determined to learn all he can from Todd, who was formerly his manager at Bradford City.
But while the much-travelled Yorkshireman is something of a poacher turned gamekeeper after almost two decades as a player, he is quick to stress that he has not yet hung up his boots.
“I’ve said I probably want to play for one more year and then see how I feel after that,”
said Windass. “And Colin has given me the option to do that.
I want to focus on coaching, but I still want to be playing as well.
“The manager knows I’m no spring chicken, but I’ll still do the majority of the training.
And I’ll definitely be right for games when I play. I’ll do it properly. If I can’t do it, then I won’t play, simple as that.
“I feel as though I can carry on, but that’s up to the manager.
Secretly, I’m also hoping that the centre-forwards are good enough to keep me out of the team. That’ll mean we’re up near the top of the table.”
While yesterday marked his first appearance on the training ground, Windass has been actively involved in Darlington’s affairs for the last two weeks.
He worked with Todd to assemble a 17-strong playing squad, and was a key factor in a number of the deals that were completed ahead of the start of pre-season training.
The administrative side of his role is a new experience, but having been interested in a managerial career for a number of years, Windass is relishing the varied challenges that are already coming his way.
“I’ve always been interested in management and coaching,”
he said. “Even when I was at Hull in the 90s under Terry Dolan. I was always intrigued by what was going on behind the scenes.
“The last couple of weeks have been fascinating, working away in the office, speaking to managers and trying to get players in.
“I’ve got a good relationship with a lot of people in football, so I spoke to a few managers about players and they were all very good to me.”
That process remains ongoing, with Todd and Windass hoping to add another two or three players to their current squad of 17.
Mark Bower remains a leading target, although the former Bradford defender has also been in discussions with Conference side Luton and a League One club, but Darlington could opt to wait until the start of the season before attempting to engineer a handful of loan deals.
The Quakers are expected to inquire about promising youngsters at Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, but could have to wait until the North-East’s big three complete their own pre-season preparations before an agreement can be reached.
“It would be good to bring a few loan players in to strengthen the squad, and Colin will be trying to do that at the start of the season once the pre-season period is over,”
said Windass.
“But we’ve got a group of players together now that we feel can compete at this level.
If they can listen and learn, and do what the manager wants, we won’t go far wrong.
“There are a few players who have played at a decent level, and a few young players as well. They’re still learning the game, and our responsibility is to teach them.
“Every footballer should have an aim, and my aim is to get in the play-offs with this team. If you just come short of that, you can build for another year, but the main aim is to do well at this level, get a good start and enjoy the ride.”
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