By RUSSELL BENNETT
“ONCE you get a taste of the Australian life, you don’t want to go back.”
New Casey Comets men’s State League 1 coach Billy Armour has spent half his life in Australia after making the switch from his native Scotland.
And it was love at first sight.
He was originally enticed across by his best mate for the chance to ply his footballing trade in Sydney before eventually settling in Melbourne.
Fast forward to 2014 and the 44-year-old Armour is just a year removed from playing – with an ankle injury forcing him to walk away from the pitch.
“I just decided my body is no good anymore – I was hoping to play until I couldn’t walk any more, which I nearly achieved,” he said candidly at Comets training last week.
The former central defender admits he’d still be playing if he could, but his focus has well and truly turned now to his latest coaching challenge – setting up the Comets for sustained success at the elite level.
He already knows the key building blocks to make that happen, too – Casey’s kids.
“We’re aiming to stay in this league but to try and introduce some young talent as well,” he said.
“We’re lacking experience but, that said, unless you give these young boys a go they’re not going to get that – so from week to week you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get from a young player.”
So far so good in his tenure, though.
Following the resignation of former Comets coach, and great mate of Armour’s, Stan Webster just a few weeks ago the Cranbourne-based side has won two in a row: a 3-0 win away to top four side Noble Park United at Parkfield Reserve, and a 1-0 win at Comets Stadium over the last-placed Southern Stars.
The Comets currently sit in eighth on the 12-team State League 1 South-East ladder.
Armour was originally brought in by Webster to bring a new voice and a new perspective to the Comets group at training.
And when Webster opted to walk away, the players put Armour’s name forward as his possible replacement.
He has an extensive playing resume in Melbourne’s south-east, having represented the Springvale White Eagles and Frankston Pines in the Premier League and more recently as player-coach of the Peninsula Strikers.
He’s fresh off a stint with Langwarrin, where he practically scooped their individual awards as a 40-plus year-old. Armour describes Casey’s facilities as “second to none” and says he wants to continue his tenure for at least another season.
Though he was a defender, he doesn’t approach his coaching with a defensive mentality.
“As I said to the boys recently it could have been so easy for us – because we hadn’t won for a month or so – to just try and defend and hope something would happen,” he said.
“But I said if you don’t score, you can’t win games, so why defend? Let’s go out and try and score.
“Although I like to be tight, I like to attack.”
