Former Porthleven boss Kevin Richards is set to make a return to football management next season after being named the new boss of Mullion FC.

Richards quit CSWPL division west club Porthleven in September last year to take a break from football.

However, he was contacted by Mullion vice-chairman Danny Hickey at the end of the current campaign with the view to taking over the hot-seat at Clifden Parc.

Richards accepted the challenge and has brought a few people in to help him, including ex-Falmouth Town and Penryn coach Stuart Massey, and Dave Leonard, who used to manage Porthleven Reserves.

Added to that ex-West Brom and former Falmouth Town defender Sean Flynn, who lives in Mullion, has agreed to help with coaching sessions.

Speaking about how his return to football management came about, Richards, said: “Danny (Hickey) had been pestering me ever since I left Porthleven to come down to Mullion and help him out. At the time though I needed a break from football, but he text me again at the end of the season.”

“He told me that the club is in good shape off the field, but it needed moving forward on the footballing side of things. He said he thought I was the right man for the job and asked if I’d be interested in applying.”

Richards then phoned Stuart, Dave and Sean to see if they would be interested in helping him and when they said yes, they set up an interview with the committee last Wednesday, where they were offered the job.

Mullion, who play in the Jolly's Combination League, have suffered a poor run of results the past two seasons.

They only survived losing their senior football club status last season thanks to a final day win against St Just. It saw them finish a point ahead of Holman SC, who were relegated, along with Penzance Reserves, from the Combination League.

However Richards, who says he is 'buzzing' about the prospect of a return to football management, is confident Mullion can put the past two seasons behind them and climb their way up the league.

“Anything we achieve next season will be a bonus,” he said. “They have been through a rough time the past two seasons. We are perhaps coming in at the right time, because we are under no pressure. They have got some good youngsters at the club. What they have lacked is a bit of leadership and guidance on the field.

“We will be looking to bring in three or four experienced players to help the youngsters along. If we finish mid-table next season we will be pleased with that, but I'd like to think we can go higher and we can be challenging in the top half of the table.”

Mullion chairperson, Emma Cheetham, added: "This is an exciting time for us at Mullion FC. We believe Kev is ideal for the challenging job and look forward to working with him more closely.

“Danny Hickey, last season's manager, will continue to be involved with the club. We would like to thank Danny for all his efforts last season and keeping us in the Jolly's Combination League, which has allowed us to elect such a highly regarded local manager.”