FIRST TEAM FOLDS
Wyre Villa have made the hard decision to resign its first team from the West Lancashire League due to difficulties building a squad and maintaining match-day numbers.

The club is keen to stress the reserves will maintain the Wyre Villa name immediately going forward in the Mid Lancs League.

Chairman Kevin Roskell (pictured) said it was a difficult decision to make and was not an overnight reaction to a poor start to the current campaign.

“We started the season with over 20 players in the squad and were reduced this Monday to just 5 being available. It reached the point we had to do something drastic to reset again as a club.

“Our reserves will continue in the Mid Lancs League and we may introduce a second team next season. We have the foundation of a stable pathway for local lads to come through. We need a good mix of local and experienced, committed talent.

“The immediate impact of players dropping out of the squad means we need to rebuild a commitment to what it means to play for Wyre Villa. A lack of commitment from players over the years has led to our current predicament this week.

“Taking the positives, we certainly have the drive to go forward and make a strong restart in the coming years. It may be early days to talk about the future but we are already planning ahead.

“Two years ago, we dropped our reserve side and went down to one team. We rebuilt from that point and we’ll do that again with a solid base. Our reserves were reintroduced and are now enjoying early season success.

"The pathway from Wyre Juniors under 18s into our reserves is in its relatively early days but has the makings of another, local positive story. Some of the remaining first team lads have committed to the club and that adds competition for places in the reserves.

“I must say the club will continue as part of the community with the reserves playing at home. That continues this Saturday when our second-place reserves host leaders Chipping A (2pm kick-off). I’d encourage as many people to come down and support the lads and enjoy a pint. The function room will continue to be available for hire by the local community.

“We’ve had good feedback from other clubs about the news. It’s surprising just how many people have wished us well and I’d like to thank them.

“The decision has taken a load off my mind. We remain committed to the Mid Lancs league. We have a good committee in place to take us forward. This is a dip in our history. Wyre Villa is here to stay.”