NEW boss Matt Whitehouse says he is looking forward to the challenge of managing Gornal Athletic next season.

Whitehouse will leave his role as boss of fellow West Midlands League side Willenhall Town at the end of the current campaign to take the reins at Garden Walk.

The 32-year-old played for the Peacocks in his youth when they were managed by former boss Simon Williams. It was Williams, brother of chairman Kevin, who encouraged him to apply for the vacant job this time around.

Whitehouse, who has managed Willenhall of two-and-a-half years, will now assess his Gornal squad during the final fixtures of the season before taking over in the summer.

He admits a big part of his role will be to help develop the club's youth players.

He said: "It is great that the club were interested in me and were keen for me to apply. It is nice to know that the work I have been doing at Willenhall hasn't gone unnoticed.

"I have decided to stay and see out the season with Willenhall but will hopefully be able to watch a few Gornal games as well in preparation for next season.

"I will also be looking at the under-21 and under-18 sides because bringing the young players through will be a big part of the job. It is important to have the right mix of youth and experience.

"Young players need to have an end goal and that should be playing for our first team. There needs to be a pathway for them and the whole club needs to run smoothly."

The new boss was chosen from a shortlist of seven candidates and will replace former manager Andy Wyton.

Wyton stepped down earlier in the season after a disappointing campaign before under-21 manager Lee Glasby took over in a caretaker capacity.

Whitehouse, who was also a former player at Oldbury United, Rushall Olympic and Willenhall, will now help lead a restructure at the club.

He is hoping to have an input in the appointment of the new under-21 manager so Glasby can take a position on the committee to act as a link between the first team and youth set-up.

He is also in the process of appointing his coaching team.

"The first goal next season is to consolidate and make sure we stay well away from the bottom three," added Whitehouse. "If we can finish in the top 10 and get an FA Cup place then that would be even better. It is the sort of season where our goals could change.

"There is a lot of work to do but I'm looking forward to the challenge. I'm ambitious and want to manage at the highest level I can, but first I want to bring success back to Gornal.

"I am a firm believer in getting the ball down and playing the right way. The players want to enjoy playing football.

"I do like to be direct at times and get it through the lines quickly and get into good areas quickly. But I like to do it by keeping the ball on the floor."

The Peacocks lost 5-0 at Malvern last Saturday and are due to face Shawbury United at home tonight (7.45pm).

They welcome Dudley Sports to Garden Walk this Saturday (3pm).