FORMER Dorchester Town defender Neil Coates has been named as the new manager of fellow Dorset side Gillingham Town.

Coates, who made a staggering 518 appearances for the Magpies, steps up from the Gills’ under-23 side to take charge of the senior squad.

He succeeds Ollie Feltham, who managed to keep Gillingham afloat in Western League Division One last season, finishing 20th of the 22 teams.

Coates is a vastly experienced right-back who also racked up 168 games for Yeovil Town, before being given a testimonial against West Ham in 2001.

READ MORE: Gillingham Town promoted to Western League Division One

Coates, who was also part of Gillingham’s first-team coaching setup in 2023/24, will work with Mark Deakin on the touchline.

In a club statement, the Woodwater Lane club said: “Gillingham Town FC would like to welcome our new manager Neil Coates, a local man, with a wealth of experience after an extensive playing career where he played over 150 games for Yeovil Town in the National Conference League and (518) games for Dorchester Town in the Southern League.

“He has coached at a couple of local teams in the Dorset Premier League, Western League also U18s & U23s, he is no stranger to Gillingham as he was our U23 manager and first team coach last season but has now stepped up to be first-team manager and is looking to take the team and club forward.

“Neil and Mark will be joined shortly by an additional team to strengthen the coaching staff.”

Since gaining promotion to Step 6 in 2021, Gillingham finished 15th in their first season before claiming 17th in 2022/23.

Coates will be tasked with resurrecting the club’s fortunes and has already urged interested players to contact him on 07971 958486.

Elsewhere, the Western League will now be fronted by Jewson, who take over from Toolstation as lead sponsor.

John Pool, Western League chairman, said: “Jewson have a huge community ethos, which is something that sits alongside our own values as a league.

“Working together for the betterment of the communities our clubs represent is especially important to us as we move into a new era of possibilities.

“We are excited to work closely with Jewson over the coming years, with the view of obtaining a long-term arrangement and to have them as our brand sponsor well into the future.”

Andy Jordan, regional managing director for Jewson South West, said: “The Western Football League is steeped in history, and we know many of our customers support the teams within it, whether as casual fans or committed followers.

“When the opportunity arose to become part of that community, we jumped at the chance.

“Many of our Jewson colleagues also have affiliations to football clubs in this part of the country, making it even more important to us.

“We’re excited to become part of the Western Football League’s story and look forward to enjoying lots of exhilarating matches together in the future.”