NEIL Moss and Gareth Stewart have welcomed the appointment of Phil Whitehead as Cherries' new goalkeeping coach.

Whitehead has joined the club on a part-time basis and will be putting Moss, Stewart and youth team stoppers Kevin Scriven and Jason Harvell through their paces at Canford School twice a week.

The 33-year-old former Barnsley, Oxford, WBA and Reading number one was officially unveiled this week following an exhaustive search for a replacement for Clive Saunders who left the club at the end of last season.

Saunders was appointed by Sean O'Driscoll soon after he took over from Mel Machin as manager in August 2000 and, prior to his arrival, Cherries' team of goalkeepers had been working without specialised training.

Moss, who worked under Gerry Peyton, Fred Davies and David Coles at Southampton, said: "I missed not having a goalkeeping coach through pre-season and it's certainly something we desperately need here.

"We can't just work ourselves or with each other, we need that specialist training and so far I've been very impressed with what Phil has done.

"It's absolutely vital to have a goalkeeping coach because we need to be working on our handling, kicking and all aspects of goalkeeping.

"Since Phil has come, I think my game has got better and sharper. I certainly didn't feel 100-per-cent through pre-season and hopefully now he's here and he's working with us a couple of days a week, my performances can only get better."

Stewart was left to his own devices during his first season at Dean Court following his arrival on a free transfer from Premiership Blackburn where he had worked under Terry Gennoe and Roy Tunks.

He said: "We had one goalkeeping coach for the first team and one for the youth team at Blackburn. I know it's different here, for financial reasons as much as anything else.

"In my first year here we didn't have anybody and then Sean brought Clive Saunders in. He has given way to Phil so we've got some continuity, which is what we need.

"Phil always looked a decent goalkeeper when we played against Reading and you have to be good to get to the level he played at. I think he's taken that into his coaching now.

"He's still playing part-time and has only just finishing playing in the pro game so he knows what we want and what we need. He just tinkers on the little things and keeps us ticking over.

"It's difficult to come in every day and work by yourself or just the two of us. The other lads are doing their thing, but goalkeeping is that bit different. It was massively important that we got someone in."