Working closely with Burnley’s midfielders will be a key component of Jack Cork’s coaching role following his promotion to Scott Parker’s backroom staff.
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Former Burnley defender signs on for another year with Premier League rivals](https://www.burnleyexpress.net/sport/football/former-burnley-defender-signs-on-for-another-year-with-premier-league-rivals-5210187 "Former Burnley defender signs on for another year with Premier League rivals")
He joins a backroom team that also consists of Jonathan Hill, Henrik Jensen, Mike Jackson and goalkeeping coach Kersten Kuhl.
Opening up on what his role entails, Cork told the club’s YouTube channel: “I’ll be working closely with the midfielders, I’ll be doing the individual programmes, going through clips and analysis for the midfielders.
“I’ll still be keeping my close link with the Under-21s. We’ve got a really good Under-21 side within the academy setup so hopefully we can keep pushing towards that. Hopefully having me as a link between will still be there.
“I’ll also be in meetings, giving my input and just be someone to bounce opinions off for the manager, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Cork’s promotion comes just a year on from the midfielder calling time on his playing career to take up a position within the club’s academy.
Cork called time on his playing career last summer to begin his coaching journey (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)placeholder image
Cork called time on his playing career last summer to begin his coaching journey (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
“It’s a really exciting moment to be honest. I’m quite new to coaching and I’ve still got a lot to learn,” Cork added.
“I had a really good year with the Under-21s, we had quite a successful group with some very good players, some who made their debuts, so I had a really good year and enjoyed it.
“When the season finished I knew there might be some changes to the first-team setup and the manager just rang me and asked if I’d be interested in helping out and being around the first-team next season.
“Obviously it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down, because it’s an amazing chance to get so early into my coaching journey. I’m really appreciative of the chance.”
Explaining what he learned from his year coaching with the Under-21s, Cork commented: “It was my first season coaching full-time so it was a bit different to what I was used to, a bit of a shock in terms of the amount of work you have to put in, the earlier starts and the later finishes. But I gave it as much as I could throughout the year and I really enjoyed it.
“It helped that I was working with some really good young players and with some experienced staff who could help me in my first year in that role.
“You can make mistakes as a coach and learn certain things and there’s no real repercussions. Results-wise it doesn’t really matter, it’s more about player development.
“To be in that environment and help young players learn, it was just great. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go but I loved every minute of it.
“It’s a really good setup to be a part of. It’s a club I know and I’m used to and I know a lot of the people, so it was just really good.
“To be part of a successful season where the Under-18s won the league and we got to two semi-finals and one final and beat some good teams in the Premier League Cup showed we are ready to make that step-up from Category Two to Category One.”
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