MALPAS footballer, Danny Lloyd has signed a professional coaching contract with League One side Rochdale.

The central midfielder, who turned 26 last week, will be in charge of the club’s under-17 side at the Rochdale academy base in Lancashire.

The move marks a progression for Lloyd, who has worked with youngsters in Rochdale’s highly-rated under-10s, 11s and 12s for the last five years.

As part of the club’s elite player performance plan strategy, he will now oversee the development of teenagers hoping to make the breakthrough to the first team and secure a professional contract.

He said: “It’s a really great opportunity for me and I’m delighted to have joined the under-17s coaching staff on a full-time basis. I haven’t been in the role for long but I’ve already seen some of the academy’s first-year scholars whom I’ll be working with and there’s some real talent there.

“We’re in the middle of our pre-season prepar-ations right now and we’ll be pushing the players hard between now and September. This is obviously a new role for me so I’m looking forward to helping these players progress as far as they can go in the game.  

"I really hope we can help some of the players take that next step in their playing careers and make the step-up to the first team to play professionally.”

Despite taking on full-time coaching responsibilities at Rochdale, Lloyd will remain a Malpas player and will be a key member of their squad for the season ahead.