BUCKLAND Athletic Head Coach Dan Hart has committed his future to Homers Heath after signing a ‘multi-year’ contract extension on Thursday.

Hart has been in charge of the Bucks since he joined from his post at South West Peninsula League side Launceston in July 2022.

‘I think it’s a natural extension of what we’re trying to build,’ Hart said, ‘and it shows the club has got full belief in the process that we’re trying to put in place. 

‘From my point-of-view it’s a boost to what we’re trying to do and it gives us that extra bit of time to put a plan and a future plan into place. We know that, in the short-term, everything is fully focussed on putting the right squad of players together to keep moving and keep progressing to a point where we can get out of this league. 

‘Then it’s about how the club and myself keep working past that and ensure we can be sustainable in the higher leagues in the right way.’

Hart was in the mood for recruiting last summer as he brought a number of fresh faces to Homers Heath with the intention of an attempt at promotion to the Southern League. The new-look Bucks sit fifth in the Western League – the last of the positions that qualify a side for the brand-new play-off system – with just seven matches still to play.

Dan Hart
Dan Hart giving his instructions pitchside. (Iain Morland)

‘The whole time I’ve been at the club they’ve been as good as gold to me, and to show that level of faith in someone and extend a contract even further for someone who has not even turned 30 yet is a nice feeling,’ Hart explained. 

‘I need to back that up and make sure that I keep working hard and keep doing the right things and keep trying to progress players and make them better. I will do what I can to help this club achieve its goals.

‘It takes a lot of people to get there; it’s not just me. The only thing that I can do is keep working hard with every moment that I get out of a busy life and keep devoting all the time I can to making myself a better coach and a better manager and making these players become tighter and making sure we’ve got the best players available to us at our club. 

‘That’s the only way that we can achieve our goals in this league, and then it’s still about changing the culture and giving the club the best foot forward in the Southern League once we get there.’