BRIERLEY & HAGLEY AFC
West Midlands Premier [ STEP 7]

Brierley Hill and Hagley join forces > 2001 Brierley Hill Town changed name

Brierley Hill Town FC are quitting the Dell Stadium to merge with Midland Combination outfit West Hagley under the name Brierley and Hagley Alliance.The new team will take up Brierley Hill's Banks's Premier League status and will play their home games at Midland Alliance outfit Halesowen Harriers as tenants. The move to Park Road will provide a club house to work from which is something the Lions never had at the Dell. West Hagley Chairman Lee Robson will become supremo of the new club and there is a committee structure of 60 to 70 people from West Hagley in place improving on the handful of members who struggled at Town. Brierley Hill boss Tony Gore will be manager and sit on the senior club committee with West Hagley governor Mike Thorpe acting as assistant manager and first team coach. Town assistant manager John Roberts has stepped down due to work commitments. Gore said: "The last four or five years have not been that stable at Brierley Hill. "We've had a lack of people involved at the club and have not been able to compete."West Hagley is a very well run football club and they, like us, have ambitions and are keen to improve." Apart from the Banks's Premier team the club will have sides playing in the Midland Combination second division and Birmingham AFA first and third divisions under the West Hagley banner at Hagley Park and Broadwaters, Kidderminster. "It will be nice to have a base to work from and to be honest the cost at the Dell was getting ridiculous - I feel the council could have helped a bit more. "To be successful on the pitch you've got to be successful off it and merging with West Hagley will give us a strong committee." Robson will head a board of directors which will oversee senior, youth and junior section committees. West Hagley run a feeder system from under-five-year-olds to senior level and the first team have just won Midland Combination division three scoring 100 goals while only conceding 17. Boss Thorpe, who also did an eight-year stint as West Hagley chairman, said: "This is a major stepping stone for us and it's given us a higher status. " We will be aiming for a top three place next season."

Brierley Hill staved off relegation on the final day of the season.But if it was not for West Hagley players Andy Yapp, James Perry, Noel Milsom, Aarron Grant and James' brother Richard, who bagged 14 goals in 13 games, turning out for the Lions they would have sunk into Banks's division one. Brierley Hill defender Greg Bishop has left the club to join Halesowen Harriers.