Bramley Buffaloes Rugby League Club has moved quickly to appoint a new Head Coach with club veteran Steven Gill taking the reigns following the departure of Craig Lingard to pastures new.
Craig, recently named by Batley Bulldogs coach and former Bramley RLFC coach John Kear as his new assistant, is the latest in a long line of Buffaloes coaches to enter the professional coaching realm by returning to the club with which he made his name as a player.
Despite only having been in charge for a season Craig leaves with the very best wishes of everyone involved with the Buffaloes as chair Martyn Cheney explained: “We wish Craig all the very best as he returns to Mount Pleasant in a coaching capacity and thank him for the sterling effort he has put in for the Buffaloes in guiding us through a difficult period.
“His involvement with Bramley over the past twelve months has played a big part in our survival and we are delighted with the progress made on the pitch under his leadership.
“We now embark on a new chapter with Steven Gill at the helm, a player who knows Bramley Buffaloes inside out since our resurrection in 2004 and someone who will have the respect of everyone at the club.
“It was important to make a quick appointment so that we can move forward and Steven will play a big part in determining where we go from here,” explained Martyn.
The new coach, who has racked up 93 appearances for the Buffaloes since 2004 scoring 19 tries, commented: “It’s a great honour to take over as coach of a club that has played a big part in my life over the past decade and I’ll be looking to keep the momentum going at whatever level we are competing at next season.
“There are still a lot of decisions to be made for the club but hopefully my appointment will create a seamless link to the future from the great work done by Craig in the past year,” added Steven.