Shropshire Star

Weale is confident Bridgnorth job will prove an attractive proposition

AFC Bridgnorth chairman Mark Weale is confident the vacant managerial job will prove attractive to would-be applicants.

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The Crown Meadow outfit are hunting for a new boss after Pete Whitehouse’s decision to step down.

Steve Groome and Kevin Hesseltine took charge of Saturday’s 3-0 TJ Vickers Cup quarter-final defeat at the hands of Haughmond – a result that brought an end to Bridgnorth’s season.

Now all the focus will turn to getting the right man to fill the hot-seat before the club return to pre-season training.

“I’d like to think it will be a great job for somebody,” said Weale. “We are building the club from the bottom up.

“We had a particularly torrid time four or five years ago. When we took over the club wasn’t in a very good state. We were considerably in debt and we had to pay that off first.

“We have managed to do that and the club, in itself, has a solid base.

“Obviously we have been hit by Covid the same as a lot of other clubs. It’s not been the best 12 months of our reign and clearly money will always be tight for us. But we are not in any imminent danger and the club itself, once we get going again, will be strong.

“We are now in a much stronger position as a club, it’s just getting things right on the field now. That’s the final piece of the jigsaw, to try to get a football XI out that can get us out of the level we are in and take us to another level.

“We just want to get it right on the field now. We have saved the club, we have put the building blocks in place and improved all the facilities.

“I thought the hardest part would be making money and running the club, but we have managed to do that relatively well. Now we have got to get the football right and that’s proving to be the hardest part.”

Weale has already stated the club will not rush into a decision on who replaces Whitehouse.

“We have had interest in the job, but there is no need to rush anything,” added Weale. “Our season is finished now and the players usually come back in June for pre-season training with friendly matches starting in July.

“We obviously want to have everything sorted before pre-season starts, but we have plenty of time.”