Adam Hughes is set to continue as a player-coach at Valentine next season after gaining the top job full-time this week.
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Hughes, a former A-League and Chinese Super League player, has been interim coach of the Northern NSW NPL side since Darren Sills was axed after four rounds.
Valentine were on one point when the change was made and they have picked up 10 more in six games since Hughes has been in charge. Phoenix likely need to win their remaining three games to make the top-five finals.
Players were told this week Hughes would continue as coach in 2021. The 38-year-old said he was keen to also play on.
"If the body holds up, I'll continue on," Hughes said. "I'll play it by ear but I feel good at the moment and if I stay in this condition and do a good pre-season, I'll come back and have another kick.
"They wanted to keep it the same, we had a bit of a discussion and came to an agreement, so we'll continue with the way things are going and try to build on that."