Colin Little to leave Altrincham for Manchester United

Little is hoping to play on at a lower level

Altrincham striker Colin Little will leave the club at the end of the season to become assistant coach for Manchester United's Under-13 side.

The 37-year-old, who has been coaching Crewe's Under-15s for three years, joined Alty in 2004 and has scored 112 goals for the Blue Square Premier side.

He said: "It just seemed the right moment. I've had one or two injuries.

"It has been difficult getting a run of games under my belt. What softens the blow is the progress we have made."

The former Crewe, Mansfield, Macclesfield and Halifax man scored 38 goals in his first season at Moss Lane and was third top scorer in the 2007/08 Conference season with 21 strikes.

All I hope now is that I can perhaps pop on, even from the bench, and try to nick a goal

Colin Little

He continued: "I have loved every minute at Alty and have friends for life in people like Graham Heathcote, the Rowley family and all our fantastic supporters.

"I have been coaching the Under-15s at Crewe the past three years, and Dario Gradi has kept chipping away at me to devote more time to that.

"I always resisted, because I couldn't imagine not playing for Alty, but then this opportunity came along at United.

"It's a step down in a way, because I will be assistant coach for the Under-13s, but let's be fair - United don't come calling every day. To get a foot on the ladder there was too good to miss, and leaving Alty, and Crewe, was the price I had to pay."

Little is hoping to continue his career below Blue Square Premier level and is hoping to add to his two goals of an injury-plagued season before he leaves.

"People keep saying I'm getting on a bit, but I would like to think the old potency is still there. The demands of the new job mean I can't carry on committing the time needed to be an Alty player, but I don't want to finish playing yet.

Colin is the main reason we have survived in the Conference. He has been a fantastic servant to this club

Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote

"If there was an opportunity with another club at a lower level that didn't cut across my coaching duties with United, I'd jump at it. I want to stay in the game as long as possible, because football is all I know, and while coaching is the future for me, there is still a bit left in the tank as a player.

"All I hope now is that I can perhaps pop on, even from the bench, and try to nick a goal. I get a bit embarrassed if there's a lot of fuss, but I'm dying to do that before I finish."

Alty boss Heathcote said: "Colin is the main reason we have survived in the Conference. He has been a fantastic servant to this club. His goals tally tells its own tale of the contribution he has made."