MARK Bache has been rolling back the years with Dudley Sports this week.

The 46-year-old has returned to the firing line by featuring in Sports past two games against Shifnal and Willenhall Town.

Joint manager Tony Gore has no qualms about playing Bache and said: “He’s one of the fittest players at the club.

“He’s played the past two games and it’s no coincidence that we won both.

“At the end of last season, he picked up a back injury and a number of people thought that might be it. But Mark will never retire.”

Bache is set to face his former club Lye Town this Saturday, who have been sweeping all before them in this season’s West Midlands League.

Gore, a former Lye favourite himself, said: “We will give it our best shot. We’re certainly not going there just to make the numbers up, but we’re going to have to play at our best.

“They’ve got goals coming from all over the place and players on their bench who would be leading goalscorers anywhere else.

“But we’ve done well against the top sides this season and it’s always nice to beat one of the bigger clubs.”

Sports are also set to welcome back central defender James Taylor after two years on the sidelines with cruciate knee ligament damage. The 31-year-old has battled his way back to fitness and comes into the reckoning to face Lye with Gore confirming: “It’s time for him to start playing again.

“A fully fit James Taylor should be playing at a higher level.”

Sports came from behind this week to beat Willenhall Town 2-1, former Swindon Town youngster Daryl Charman and Tom Overfield, who is another player currently on loan to Sports from Midland Alliance frontrunners Tividale after recovering from a fractured leg, proving the players on target.

Sports Under-15 MJPL side dismissed Northamptonshire side Desborough Town with an 8-1 victory.