CRADLEY Town manager Nigel Birch will leave the club at the end of the season.

Birch will step down after accepting a senior position outside of football that will see him relocating to the south west.

He has so far guided Cradley to seventh place in the West Midlands League Premier Division during his first season in charge.

Birch, who will now help find his replacement, said he is frustrated that he can't finish what he has started at the club, but is pleased with what he has achieved in such a short amount of time.

"Plans, both on and off the pitch, have gone really well. We are ahead of the three year plan we put in place to get the club back to the Midlands Alliance," he said.

"When I came in I had to start from scratch, so to get to our current position so quickly is something I'm proud of. I now want to hand over this squad to someone who can continue the work we have started."

The club will begin the formal search for a replacement from March 31.

Cradley continued their progression this campaign by beating Bromyard 2-1 at home last Saturday thanks to a brace from captain Scott Devlin.

They will now travel to play Wellington this Saturday.

Town are also looking to ground share the pitch, clubhouse and facilities at Beeches View Avenue with another club next season.