King Appointed As Trowbridge Boss - 20th June
FTL Futbol Hellenic League Division One West Trowbridge Town have appointed Paul King as their new manager.
He takes over at the club from Paul Shanley, who left at the end of the season to manage Toolstation League First Division neighbours Bradford Town.
King, 39, has been manager of AFC Trowbridge Town Reserves for the past two seasons, guiding his team to a second-placed finish in the Bradford Building Supplies Trowbridge League Division One in the last campaign.
Though the new Trowbridge Town manager admits he expects a number of players to leave this summer, and says the club may have to go back before it goes forward.
Lewis Porter, Matt Penman and Dan Shanley look set to join former Trowbridge boss Paul Shanley at Bradford Town before the new campaign. Aaron Salter could join his brother Lee at Corsham Town while Nathan Flower is being chased by new Melksham Town boss Wayne Thorne.
King said: "We're losing so many players, it's going to be a tough job. Paul's done a fantastic job and with him leaving I think there will be an exodus of players. It's hard to follow that and it's going to be about rebuilding."
The new boss will have a better idea of the personnel he has to pick from when Trowbridge start pre-season training on Tuesday. He has been joined at Woodmarsh by assistants Lee Haywood, Andy Bonser and former Bradford Town man Mike Little, who King hopes will continue to play.
With a number of players looking set to leave and the move to the new ground at Bradley Road at a standstill, King will turn to young players at Woodmarsh. King said: "I think they want someone to come in and give all the youngsters the opportunities. With the connections I've got with the youth players, hopefully that will bring them forward. There's not much progression at Trowbridge in the way of the ground, hopefully they can sort it all out over the next couple of years."
"It may be a step back for a season or two but at the end of it we'll be a young team who are upwardly mobile. But it's firstly about trying to keep a stable team in the Hellenic League. I don't think there's any aspirations that they want to be league champions. I think we'll do okay and I'm looking forward to it."
Although Trowbridge's plans to move to a new ground at Bradley Road have not progressed in recent times, the club plan to formally merge with AFC Trowbridge Town Youth on Friday July 4 at 7.45pm. The meeting will take place at Trowbridge Cricket Club.
A statement on the club's website said: "Members will be asked to formally accept the new club constitution and elect the club officers. Existing members of both clubs are encouraged to attend this important meeting. There will also be a final meeting of the current Trowbridge Town committee at 7pm to pay tribute to those members stepping down and thus move on to the new set-up."
The committee meeting will be the last official involvement of former chairman John Fitchen, who is expected to chair the meeting at 7pm.
King said: "We're going to be one club which is the best thing about it. We'll have a large turnover of players and we'll be able to give a few players the chance to prove they can play at this level."
