Vauxhall FC manager Anthony Wright takes in Liverpool FC’s Far East coaching adventure

Jul 20 2011 by Luke Reddy, Heswall News

ANTHONY WRIGHT returned from what he described as the best experience of his life to find his Vauxhall Motors squad building fitness and momentum ahead of the new season.

Fulfilling his day-job as a coach at Liverpool’s academy, Wright was aboard the club’s tour of the far-east as he helped deliver coaching clinics to youngsters in China, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Alongside colleagues from Liverpool’s community department, the Motor’s manager conducted sessions in deprived areas and put children with disabilities through their paces with the help of some of the Reds first-team stars.

“A few of the first-team squad came along and joined in,” said Wright. “Andy Carroll, Conor Cody, Brad Jones, Daniel Ayala and others. So it was good for the kids and it was good for the club.

“It was the best experience of my life to be with the first-team. Watching them train in-front of 40,000 people. It was just unbelievable.”

The recently installed boss admitted he managed to pick up on some new ideas from watching Liverpool’s elite in training and he is now eager to get back to duties at Rivacre Park.

“There was a few things I saw which were technical,” he added.

“It was a real eye-opener for me. Marty’s (Gary Martindale) filled me in on everything and said the boys are looking sharp so I just can’t wait to get back into Vauxhall things.”

The boss returned to news of his side’s 8-1 victory in a behind closed doors friendly against a group of Australian and African youngsters touring Europe through a scouting agency which aims to find professional clubs for the players.

The Motormen comfortably saw off the International Football Scouting Centre thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Wilson, and double strikes from the duo of Andy Taylor and trialist Theo Thompson. Tom Grice also made the score-sheet and assistant manager Gary Martindale was pleased with the work-out ahead of Tuesday’s stiff pre-season test against Dietmar Hamann’s Stockport County.

“It was a good run-out,” said Martindale. “Most of them got at least half a game. And I’ve always thought playing is better than training anyway.

“Everyone put a shift in really. As far as Josh is concerned it’s a good to get off to a good start. He looked sharp. There’s nothing better than scoring early on.

“The lads were very professional in the way they approached the game. They stuck to their guns.

“Sometimes it’s easy to get complacent at five or six but they kept going and I could see by the way they came off that they’d put a shift in.”