Okehampton boss Kevin Miller moves to Exeter City

Legendary local goalkeeper Kevin Miller has left his post as Okehampton Argyle manager in the South-West Peninsula League to become the permanent goalkeeping coach at Exeter City.

Miller, who has been a hugely popular figure in Devon and Cornwall football with the likes of Bodmin Town, Okehampton and others, amassed over 700 appearances in his Football League career, including a spell in the Premier League with Crystal Palace.

He began his professional career with the Grecians in 1989 and was a huge performer for four seasons, leaving to sign for Birmingham City in 1993. He returned as a player in 2002 and now joins the new City coaching team under manager Gary Caldwell and assistant boss Kevin Nicholson.

Miller told the Exeter City club website: “The club gave me my chance when I was a 19-year-old and I retired at 46, taking a bit of time out because football had been my life for so long. I’ve been desperate to get back in and have been managing Okehampton for the last six or seven months.

“I’ve known Kevin Nicholson for a long time and luckily living up this way I spoke to Kev to see if he needed any help and it stemmed from there.

“Coaching is not like playing, but it’s the next best thing, the day-to-day banter side of it and being out in the fresh air with the keepers and helping improve them is as good as playing for me now, so I’m really enjoying it and looking forward to pushing on. I’ve got my own style and my own way of training, so bit by bit, we will bring that in.

“I loved my time here as a player, it was my first club and has always been close to my heart. You see the things the club do, like giving Jay Stansfield his father’s number 9 shirt, and it’s incredible.

“The club set-up is perfect for players to come in and enjoy their football. The Academy here is second to none. The number of young kids that come through the ranks, progress through the first team and move on speaks volumes for the club.”