No sign of Rangers exit for chairman

Stafford Rangers chairman Mike Hughes could stay at Marston Road until the end of the season - despite announcing his intention to step down last summer.

Hughes was set to leave before the campaign began but stayed on as chairman, as the club have not been able to find a replacement.

And the 65-year-old admits he's going to be in charge until next March at the earliest, when the five-man board of directors will hold their Annual General Meeting.

But board members Reg Bates and Rod Woodward didn't want the post when it was available last summer, while Roly Tonge and Cliff Went have already served as chairman.

That leaves Hughes as the man for the job and he could complete the full season in his 27th year at the club.

He said: "It looks as if I am going to be here until the end of the season, certainly until the Annual General Meeting, which will be in March.

"We have five board members and we are a bit light, but everyone is doing their bit and it's going along OK, at the moment.

"There has been no contact from people wanting to join the board, to my knowledge, and I think I would know if there had been!

"Hopefully, we will review the situation at the AGM and see what transpires from there."

Hughes took over at the start of last season from Jon Downing and doubled up with his previous role as club secretary until the end of that campaign.

Robbie Mullin joined Rangers last summer to be eased into the secretarial duties but, as a club stalwart, Hughes feels the need to step further back.

He said: "We all get older and, sooner or later, everyone has to step back and see the wood for the trees, you can't go on forever.

"But it's not a question of you are in one day and you are out the next, it's a gradual process."