Scott Hamilton rings the changes at Bilston

Boss Scott Hamilton has rung the changes following a disappointing end to the last campaign.

Just five players have survived the Queen Street cull with a host of new signings arriving.

And while Hamilton admits a touch of patience may be needed following the overhaul, he felt it was time for a shake-up.

“This will be my fourth season in charge and up until last season we had improved every year,” he said.

“But we went backwards and basically just stumbled over the line at the end and no-one wants that. We had a poor finish last season and we need to change things. We couldn’t carry on with what we had.

“We have retained just five from last season and signed 12 or 13 new players. We have added some quality.”

Hamilton has paid little attention to results during pre-season as he looked for signs that his side were starting to gel.

“I think pre-season has gone OK although some of the fans may disagree,” he said. “It’s not about results, it’s about getting minutes into players and getting them playing with each other.

“This is a new side and with any rebuild, it can take a bit of time. But I have seen signs of togetherness and the lads starting to bond.”

And despite his rebuild, Hamilton is still aiming high.

“With four going up, that is what you have to aim for,” he said.

“I think Wolves Casuals and Wolves Sporting will be very strong and then there will be a group of other clubs striving for the top four.

“I’d like to think that we can be in among them.”

“With four teams going up I think it has made the league even more competitive.

“There will be some very good players playing in this league this season.”

Poor weather has hampered Dudley Sports preparations for the new season, with long-serving boss Tony Gore admitting he is struggling to identify his best team ahead of tomorrow’s game against Littleton.

A waterlogged pitch forced Sports to postpone last weekend’s home friendly with Castle Vale.

Gore said: “I’ve got a lot of players to choose from and in an ideal world could do with another two or three weeks.

“There are still five or six positions where I’m not quite sure of who to play. But we will be as ready as we can be.

“We probably could not have asked for a tougher start. The first three fixtures – Littleton, Pershore and Shifnal – have all been spending big.”