FOOTBALL: NEW MANAGER FOR LYME REGIS FC

ROBIN Townsend has been appointed manager of Lyme Regis Football Club.

Townsend, 34, had been joint manager with Robert Thom last season after stepping up from running the Seasiders Reserve team.

Thom decided to step down midway through last season and gave Townsend’s appointment his fully backing, he said: “I think it’s the right decision by the committee and I know Robin has the full support of the players.”

Townsend, who played for a variety of clubs including; Chideock, Charmouth, Bridport, Pymore and Netherbury during a playing career spent primarily as a goalkeeper or bustling centre-forward, will appoint an assistant in due course.

In the meantime he is looking for a person to come forward as first team linesman, anybody interested should ring 07967 300485.

The appointment of Townsend was the immediate task of the club’s officers and committee which was voted in at the annual meeting at the Davey Fort on Thursday evening. The one notable change from last season sees Billy White step-down as vice-chairman to concentrate all of his efforts on maintaining the immaculate Davey Fort surface in his other role as Groundsman. White is succeeded as Vice-chairman by Robert Thom. 

A full list of officers and committee members is as follows: President: Barbara Austin, chairman: Howard Larcombe, vice-chairman: Robert Thom, secretary: Gerard Hitchcock, treasurer: Teresa Evemy, minutes secretary: Teresa Evemy. Committee members: Heather Larcombe, Julia Durrant, Ken Howells, James Larcombe, Billy White, Luke Clifton, John Cleal, Adam Caddy, Robert Larcombe, Alistair Rattenbury.

The club hopes to co-opt additional committee members at future monthly committee meetings. 

The first opponents in Townsend’s sights will be Misterton when they visit the Fort on Saturday, September 5th.

Adge Diment’s side found the step-up from Division One difficult last season but snatched a 1-1 draw in corresponding fixture. The following weekend The Seasiders travel to Henhayes to take on reigning League Champions Crewkerne Town.

Charmouth are back in the top-flight after an absence of four years. The Robins have a tough looking opening when they visit Combe Reserves whose young team surprised many observers last season. 

Next up for manager Tommy O-Hare and his troops is a trip to Perry Street, another side with a new manager in place with Darren Pinney having taken the step-up to replace Paul Mitchell who has called time on his managerial career for now.

Lyme Regis Reserves begin their assault on the Perry Street League Division One title last won in 2001-02 with the visit of Chard Rangers for the second game in a double header.

The Seasiders will be looking to improve on last season’s third consecutive fifth place finish as they take on a Rangers side missing the influential Jamie Cornhill who has joined Chard Town. Last season’s  fixture ended all-square at 2-2.

Beaminster Reserves begin life in Division Two with, on paper, their toughest fixture of the season when they travel to First Avenue to face a Millwey Rise side which will no doubt be determined to go one better after narrowly missing out on promotion in each of the last two seasons. Rise have also been bossted by the news that Ian Hall has reversed his decision to quit as manager.

Uplyme welcome Drimpton to Venlake with the West Dorset side hoping for a better season having struggled to put a side on the pitch for large parts of last seasons. Uplyme meanwhile will look to end their miserable end of season form which included a 4-1 Tommy Tabberer Cup Final defeat against Perry Street Reserves at the Davey Fort.

Lyme Regis Bantams begin the season on the road with a trip to Misterton Reserves. 

The South Somerset side were controversially promoted despite being docked points for effectively ‘swapping’ the key members of their team with re-instated first teamers for a crucial end of season fixture at Crewkerne Rangers.