National coach Kyle Lightbourne has been offered a new short term coaching contract with the Bermuda Football Association (BFA).

Lightbourne succeeded Kenny Thompson for the top post in September of 2004, months after Bermuda were dumped out of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and narrowly missed coaching the Island through to the second round of the 2004 Digicel Cup in St.Vincent on his first international assignment.

In May 2005, 37-year-old Lightbourne had his contract extended by the BFA?s technical committee for another year.

When queried over the matter, Lightbourne declined to comment as he has yet to agree to terms of what is understood to be a deal that will expire following September?s Digicel Cup in the Dominican Republic.

BFA technical committee chairman, Jon Beard, confirmed yesterday that the former Walsall, Coventry City, Macclesfield Town, Stoke City and Scarborough centre forward had in fact been offered a new coaching contract.

?Kyle has been offered an extension to his contract and he has the conditions and so we are just waiting for him to come back and confirm it,? Beard told .

?We are obviously hopeful that he will and support him and hope that he is going to be successful in the upcoming tournaments.?

Lightbourne is also head coach of Bermuda?s Under 20 national squad that are due to compete in the Under 20 World Cup qualifiers in the US Virgin Islands next month.

The Island?s Under 20 youth squad are fresh off a 2-1 win over triple crown winners North Village at the National Sports Centre (NSC) on May 26.

Although the senior national team has seen limited action under Lightbourne?s watch, Beard hopes to see the squad compete more on a regular basis.

?I think we all feel sorry for him (Lightbourne) in many ways and because of our present situation we haven?t been able to provide him with the sort of exposure that we would like for the national team to have,? Beard added.

?But I?m hopeful that with the Digicel coming up and then Under 20s coming up will have a real run at something and really show us what he can do.?

Only recently Lightbourne signed an undisclosed deal as coach of Premier Division side PHC Zebras, the local club he played for before venturing off in pursuit of a professional playing contract in the UK in the early 1990s.