A one-year hiatus has only stoked Thomas Mills' fire more.

The long-time Port Coquitlam soccer coach has taken over the PoCo FC reigns after skippering in the Vancouver Metro league for a season, bringing some new recruits with him.

With last Friday's 4-1 victory over North Fraser Selects at Swangard Stadium, PoCo FC demonstrated why it will be in the thick of it when it comes to Fraser Valley Premier Soccer League bragging rights.

Although they had a couple of good chances in the early going, PoCo found itself trailing after a Fraser cornerkick resulted in an own goal. Despite that setback, the club stayed the course until veteran Tiarnan King cashed in a penalty kick at the 34 th minute. Reed Lamb put PoCo in front four minutes later.

"We had a lot of chances early but just didn't capitalize," noted Mills. "After they scored, it looked like it could be a long night but the boys battled hard."

Second-half tallies from Milad Rahmati and Arash Afrooze completed the offence.

Usually in the mix when it comes to the top-three positions, PoCo will maintain its sights on some hard-to-get hardware, like a provincial cup berth, the premier league playoff crown and a Pakenham Cup title.

Last year, the club posted its first-ever win in provincial cup play and advanced to the round of 16. In 2010, Mills guided his charges to the Pakenham Cup final where they fell to archrival Peace Arch.

Those oh-so-close steps continue to motivate Mills and his men.

"The last three years I coached in PoCo we had our chances but didn't have success in the end," Mills noted. "What we say now is that we practise today, Sept. 14, so that we will be playing April 14 (of the provincial cup)."

The club's chances were bolstered with the off-season signings of brothers Mark and Mike Gomes, who were on Vancouver Metro's Sporting Club in recent years, winning a provincial championship.

Mills also brought in 23-year-old goalkeeper Ermin Ozcan, who starred with the VMSL's Inter squad.

"He's one of the best goalkeepers around. He knew a few of the boys on the team and he's a big addition," said Mills.

PoCo, which plays its home games at

Gates Park, is also pleased to have former Whitecap Kevin Harmse back for a second season.

The former pro and one-time national team member brings a big presence to the squad's midfield, creating real depth that should keep PoCo in the battle with Peace Arch and Port Moody for the league crown.

"We've added some veteran experience, players who have won before," noted Mills. "We know we are setting a standard that people will want to get after us."

PoCo's next test comes Sunday in Abbotsford against the Mariners.

The Port Moody Gunners, meanwhile, look to rebound from a 1-0 loss to those same Mariners with a contest Saturday in North Delta.

PREMIER WOLVES OPEN WITH A TIE

In Vancouver Metro Soccer League premier play, the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Wolves rallied to earn a 1-1 draw with Richmond FC.

Richmond took a 1-0 lead at the 25-minute mark and had two good chances to double it.

Coquitlam, which enters the season with a more youthful roster than in recent years, battled back and displayed a lot of fire. Sang Yoon Hwang and Alfredo Valente led the charge with spirited efforts, resulting in the game-tying tally at the 75 th minute from veteran Russel Huggon.

Huggon converted a great setup from Domenic Delli Santi to bury the equalizer.

The Wolves host 0-0-1 Croatia SC tonight (Friday), 8 p.m. at Coquitlam Town Centre East.

sports@thenownews.com