Tweedmouth Rangers move quickly to appoint new manager

Club captain Regan Graham has agreed to stay with Tweedmouth Rangers for another season and will be playing for new manager Kev Wright. Picture: Stuart Fenwick

Tweedmouth Rangers have appointed a new manager after parting company with Neil Oliver last week.

The club announced the appointment of Kev Wright, the former Coldstream manager and previously a member of Tweedmouth’s backroom staff, in a statement on their website and Facebook page.

The statement says: “Kev Wright will take up the vacant manager’s position at the club following the departure of Neil Oliver.

“Kev is a former member of the backroom staff here and will immediately start work to recruit and retain the players he needs ahead of the new campaign.

“He adds experience local football men John Short, Paul Huebner, Alan Ainslie and Colin Smith to his backroom.

“Kev and the club would like to thank Coldstream, Kev’s previous club, for their co-operation in allowing us to speak to Kev.”

Wright became Coldstream’s manager in August 2022.

They were relegated to the East of Scotland Second Division at the end of last season.

A number of players have committed to stay at the club for another season, including 23-year-old Rhys Bloomfield, who scored seven goals in his debut season; skipper Regan Graham, who had his highest scoring season for the club last season, scoring 15 goals; defender Evan Smith, striker Jay Atkinson, midfielder Jack Forster and 16-year-old Jack Cummings, who scored a couple of goals at the end of the season after returning from loan.

Also agreeing to stay with the club is Jay Baverstock, who missed the 2022/23 season after suffering an injury in the last game of the 2021/22 season.

Baverstock has been given the go-ahead to start light training after having anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery following his injury.

The club hopes he will be back to full fitness by the end of the year.

New manager Wright’s first signing is 17-year-old Matt Boyd, with Ainslie commenting on Facebook that the club was delighted to get the signing “over the line”.

One player leaving the club is Drew Cummings, who has signed a one-year contract with Berwick Rangers.

Tweedmouth ended their East of Scotland Second Division 2022/23 campaign undefeated in their final five matches, finishing with two wins and three draws, to give them their highest point total since joining the league, 43, which saw them claim eighth spot.