Saturday 17th June 2017

Royal Wootton Bassett Town are pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Gerrish and Rab MacLeod as the new management team for its Development side.

The pair, who have overseen Bassett's Wiltshire Under 18 Floodlit League team for the past two seasons, have been appointed after a lengthy interview process for the position, which attracted a number of strong internal and external applicants.

Commenting on the appointment, Chairman Andy Walduck said: "After restructuring our senior section, making the decision to move from the traditional Reserve side to a Development setup, we're delighted to have Paul and Rab agree to take on the management of the team."

"They have great knowledge of young talent in the local area and are committed to giving them experience in senior football, which is what the side is all about."

"On top of that, they have close ties to the club. Paul is a former player of ours, while he and Rab have been part of management teams within our youth section for a number of years before taking on the Floodlit League side."

"Both Paul and Rab buy into the club's ethos too, and are committed to playing an expansive style of football which we want throughout our senior section."

After receiving news of the decision, Paul Gerrish commented: "Rab and I are really looking forward to the challenge ahead."

"We're excited to again be working with young players, as well as Rich Hunter and his team."

The Development team will play in the Wiltshire County League Premier Division and will place a greater focus on player progression.

It is envisioned that the team will be comprised primarily of players aged under 23, offering them meaningful exposure to senior football with the ultimate aim of seeing as many as possible to progress to the first team.

With that in mind, the duo will work in close cooperation with first team manager Rich Hunter and his assistants Chris Green and Mike Brewer.

They will take the reins from Dave Terry, Danny Groom and Ray Ellis, who have been in charge of the Reserves for the past three seasons. Prior to that they had overseen the Development team for two years.

The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks for the hard work they have put in over the past five years.

They have brought through a number of players who have gone on to become fixtures in the first and reserve sides.

In addition, they enjoyed fantastic success on the pitch. They took the Development team – with a side made up largely of players aged under 21 - to the final of the Fountains Trophies Junior Cup in the 2012-13 season, before gaining promotion to the Wilts League Premier Division and consolidating the Reserves' position in that division after its switch from the Hellenic League.

They have been – and are – great servants of the club, and it is hoped that they will remain involved.

Pre-season training for the senior section, including the Development team, starts on Monday evening at 7.30pm at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground.

Last modified on Saturday 17th June 2017 at 11:30.