Tom Thorley leaves Stafford Rangers

Stafford Rangers are today facing up to life without Tom Thorley after the Player of the Year signed for Blue Square North rivals Worcester.

The 20-year-old has left Marston Road for the club he turned down to sign for Rangers last summer, when the Dragons were in the Blue Square South before their move to the northern section for next season.

Part of the reasoning behind the move is that Thorley studies at Worcester University, where he is a year through a Sports Science degree, and had found the travelling a chore from his Stafford home each day.

Rangers boss Chris Brindley must now plug the gap but his first immediate concern is to find a new assistant boss, after Darren Read left the club for AFC Telford.

And the manager is looking to get the new addition to his backroom staff sorted in the coming days, having already earmarked the man for the job.

He said: "I am speaking to a couple of people about coming in to assist me, that will get sorted. I have somebody in mind who I would like to do the job and I will speak to them next week.

"Something may happen with that."

Brindley also paid tribute to Read, who worked alongside him for all of their two years together at Marston Road.

He said: "It was a shame to lose Daz, he is a good friend of mine, but you can't blame the lad for going. Telford have given him a two-year contract for better money than we could offer and it's a good move for him.

"We are there for our people to be taken away from us, that is where the club is really. We just haven't got the money to compete with the majority of other clubs."