Romans look set to go west
TRIPS to county neighbours Knowle, Central Ajax and Earlswood Town look set to be replaced with treks to Herefordshire and the Welsh borders for Alcester Town after the club applied to switch leagues.
After four consecutive top ten finishes in Division Two of the Midland Football League, the Romans have now targeted a place in the Herefordshire League and the move should be confirmed when the league holds its annual meeting later this month.
Promotion to step six of the non-league pyramid has proved elusive for the Stratford Road side, their fourth place this season saw them 20 points adrift of champions Redditch Borough. And promotion is key as it unlocks FA funding to help with floodlights and ground improvements.
Club chairman Steve McAdam said: “We have applied to join the Herefordshire Premier League, we see it as an alternative route into step six football and the access to financial support which that brings.
“We have been playing against the same teams now for a number of years and with only one going up from Division Two of the MFL, there is always a danger of clubs stagnating a little. It would be nice to play some different sides.
“Also, Redditch Borough won it this season and have been put in the Hellenic League. If we were to win promotion from whatever league, then the likelihood is that the same would happen to us so the sort of journeys we could be doing in the Herefordshire will be similar to those in the Hellenic and playing a similar style of football.
“We hope to follow the route taken by Sporting Club Inkberrow a couple of seasons ago who used the Herefordshire League as a stepping stone to step six and the Hellenic League. The pathway is there.
“We have looked at the travelling and the distances involved aren’t that much further when you consider that we have been going up to Tamworth to play Bolehall Swifts and to Bloxwich to play Lane Head. Also, they will be nicer journeys than up the M5 and M6.
“With the best will in the world you can probably predict who the top teams in the MFL Division Two will be this coming season – Knowle, AFC Coventry Rangers and ourselves if we’d still been in it.”
McAdam added that Alcester Town’s management team, led by boss Aaron Blackwood, will remain the same should their bid to head west prove successful and it is hoped that the majority of last season’s squad will also stay on.
He said: “It was actually Aaron who proposed the idea in the first place and the players are aware of what we are trying to do.
“Our grading is perfectly acceptable for the league and we are still planning to make improvements at the ground. Getting promoted would allow us to tap into funding that would enable us to get floodlights installed.
“The development of the clubhouse is still our plan but we are waiting for a response from the Football Foundation in relation to a funding application. We were hoping to get this in April.”
Ben Archer, football services manager with the Herefordshire FA, confirmed Alcester Town’s application but stressed that the final decision would rest with the existing teams.
He said: “The AGM is on 19th June and that is when clubs will vote on whether they are accepted. The committee’s plan is to have Alcester Town involved in the Herefordshire League next season and hopefully teams will ratify that on the night. Hopefully there will be no issues.”
