STOKE CITY have today announced that Steve Martin has been appointed to the position of Youth Academy Director at the Britannia Stadium.

The 41-year-old from Portsmouth takes up the challenge of heading up the Potters' Academy after spending the past six and a half years at Fratton Park.

Martin fills the position which was vacated by Steve Holland recently when he moved to Chelsea to take up a similar role with the Stamford Bridge club.

In announcing the appointment, Chief Executive Tony Scholes said: "Steve's attributes will give us a strong focus on player recruitment at this level.

"This is an exciting time for him to be joining the Club and we will be looking to him to build upon the work that has already been done on the development of our Youth Academy and move forward the plans that have been put in place for the future."

Martin has operated in a number of different roles within the Academy set-up at his hometown club Portsmouth, the most recent of them as Recruitment Officer.

His move to Stoke means a reunion with First Team Coach Mark O'Connor who he regards with the greatest respect after they worked together at Fratton Park.

He decided to focus on coaching when his professional playing career failed to take off after he was restricted to a handful of reserve team appearances in spells with Newcastle United, Southend United, Crystal Palace, Aldershot and Millwall.

"This fantastic opportunity makes my decision to concentrate on coaching all the more worthwhile because I was never really going to make it as a player," he said. "I am really looking forward to the challenge of developing Stoke's Youth Academy.

"I was excited by the plans Tony Pulis, Peter Coates and Tony Scholes have for the Club and the youth development programme when I met them and I was particularly impressed with the new facilities which are being created at the training ground."