Kidderminster Harriers today unveiled former Birmingham defender Jerry Gill as the club’s new academy manager.

The 40-year-old returns to football after six months out of the game, since leaving his job as youth team coach at Football League club Bristol Rovers.

Gill’s new post, a full-time role, will see him oversee the progress of the 70 students who have been selected to join the club’s new academy, in partnership with Stourbridge College.

The former right-back himself was plucked from non-league football by Blues in 1997 and made 60 appearances in five seasons at St Andrew’s.

Another seven years in the professional game followed with Northampton and Cheltenham, before seeing out his playing career at non-league Forest Green and Redditch.

His first foray into management saw a brief spell at troubled semi-pro club Weymouth, combined with his duties at Bristol Rovers.

Now Birmingham-based Gill has got a job closer to home and is looking forward to getting started.

He said: “I know how these partnerships operate, having worked as part of one when I began coaching at Birmingham City.

“Our main aim during the first year will be to get our procedures right and ensure we instill a sense of discipline into the lads.

“We want them to apply themselves correctly – both on and off the pitch.”

Harriers manager Steve Burr was present to welcome Gill to Aggborough and had a hand in the selection of the new academy chief.

Burr also admitted that the club’s longest-serving player, Chris McPhee, “wanted to go” after completing his move to League One club Torquay.

McPhee returned to the Gulls, where he spent the 2006-07 season, on a two-year contract as a free agent yesterday, after his Harriers deal expired.

And Burr said: “It’s what Chris has wanted – it’s a club close to him and you can understand when his deal was up here that this is something he was looking for.

“I would like to say a big thank you to him for his efforts whilst he was a player here, on behalf of everyone at the club.

“We wish him all the best at Torquay.”