NEW Yoker Athletic manager Steven Reilly has revealed that he will not be shirking his duties on the pitch despite taking the reins at Holm Park.

The defender insists he intends to play as many games as he can for Whe Ho this season — providing his form merits a starting spot.

Reilly was named Yoker’s player/manager four weeks ago after John McAulay was forced to step down due to work commitments.

The former Queen’s Park man was signed by the club as a player last summer, playing a key role for McAulay last term as Whe Ho secured Super League First survival and reached the Scottish Cup quarter-final as well as the Central League Cup semi-final.

However, despite taking on the added responsibility of managing the team, Reilly has no plans to reduce his time on the pitch.

He said: “I’m going to be playing as often as I can. I’d love to take a step back, but being 33 and playing as much as I did last season, I can certainly get another season under my belt that’s for sure.

“I played 30 odd games last year so I’ll be playing as much as I can, going on form obviously, if I’m not playing well I’ll be the first man dropping out the team. If I can get someone else in who can do a job in my position then I’d love to take a step back, because I think doing the two jobs at the one time is hard going.

“But that’s why I’ve got two guys here in Martin Hardie and Graeme George who know the game and can be on the sidelines (while I’m playing) to take care of things from there.

“At the moment I’ll be getting myself fully fit and training with the boys and trying to continue on from last season.

“I’ve gained a lot of experience at the clubs I’ve been at, both junior and senior, hopefully I can use that and it can rub off on the boys.” With the new regime at Holm Park nearly a month into their tenure, Reilly has a clear idea of what the team needs to improve on last season.

He has assured fans that his side will be playing an attractive brand of football next season — but he is on the lookout for players who will compete physically to ensure they strike the right balance.

He added: “We know what we have got there in terms of ability and what the guys can do, so we know we can play good football. But at the level we are at we have to be able to mix it at times as well.

“We’ll not be taking the emphasis away from playing good football, but we will look to get two or three bodies in who have more experience and a bit of a physical presence to add to the team.”