New boss Nicholls looking to build on Lye success

The Flyers appointed the former-Halesowen and Coleshill Town manager last week after Grant Joshua departed the club at the end of the season.

Nicholls and the former Flyers boss have done a straight swap in managerial roles, as Joshua has taken the reins at Coleshill after Nicholls resigned, but the new Lye manager is hoping to stick around for some time at his new club.

He said: “I’d like to settle down somewhere where I can implement a philosophy and culture at a club and bring that through the youth set-up and across the club, and hopefully stay for a few years.

“The club itself over the last four years under Grant has done exceptionally well, and when I spoke to the guys there and Brian (Blakemore), it was a no-brainer really. We spoke about coming in and trying to push on from what Grant had put together.

“The club’s got a really good structure to it, a really good female side, and the club itself looks like it is going in the right direction.”

Joshua led Lye to their highest ever finish and seventh in the Northern One Midlands last season before leaving, suggesting that he couldn’t match his ambitions with the resources available at the club. The Flyers ended their campaign five points adrift of the play-off places which Nicholls is hoping to break into next year.

“We wouldn’t be involved in football if we didn’t want to be successful and go and win things,” said the new Lye boss. “One of the key things to me is that we want to be fighting in every game for three points and if we get to February/March time next year and we are in and around the play-offs then great, that’s what we want to be doing. If we could have an FA Trophy or FA Cup run as well then, that would be brilliant.

“Grant has put a really good squad together and there might not be too much to change.

“There might be little bits here and there that we would like to implement but I don’t think it’s fair to walk in the door and rip everything up that’s been there in the past. If we can add to that, that might be the best way to do it.

“I’m hoping to meet the players before they go away so we can get that first contact and I can speak to them about what I’m looking to do, and get an idea of who’s onboard and who wants a fresh start.”