FORMER Super League and England forward Brett Ferres will coach Goole Vikings after spending the last two years of his playing career captaining the club.

The 40-year-old secondrow hung up his boots after 36-14 home defeat by his previous team Doncaster which marked the end of the Vikings’ second season in the professional ranks.

They finished 14th in the merged Championship, and Ferres’ task is to take the side forward as Goole aim to further grow at the redeveloped Victoria Pleasure Grounds, where their best home crowd of 1,083 watched the Doncaster game.

Ferres succeeds Scott Taylor, who is joining the coaching staff at Hull FC, where he was a popular player.

While Taylor aims to help lift Hull under incoming coach Steve McNamara, former Bradford Bulls, Wakefield Trinity, Castleford Tigers, Huddersfield Giants, Leeds Rhinos and Featherstone Rovers player Ferres, while providing continuity, will also be aiming to put his own stamp on the Vikings.

“Brett is strong-minded in his views about how he wants to play the game and the standards he wants to create, and those ideas align closely with our wider vision for the club,” said director James Clark.

“His appointment has been well received by our playing group, which says a lot about the respect Brett commands.

“Like we did with Scott previously, we want to be prepared to do things differently. We want to provide opportunities to young, hungry players and coaches with the ambition to develop, to prove themselves, and to drive the club forward – and Brett continues to fit that mould.”

Clark added: “We have undergone a really thorough review and recruitment process over recent months and, despite meeting some excellent candidates, Brett proved to be the stand-out option throughout and received unanimous approval from the board.”

Ferres said: “The club and the town (equidistant between Leeds and Hull) have become really important to me.

“I’ve been fortunate to be part of the journey from the beginning and I’ve seen first-hand how much work has gone into getting us to where we are today – what the club has achieved in such a short time is extraordinary.

“I’ve always felt I’d enjoy the move into coaching when my playing career finished and I’ve been working towards my qualifications throughout this season, so to get the opportunity to begin that next chapter here is something I’m really excited about.”