New long-term manager for Westbury United

WESTBURY United Football Club has announced the appointment of a new long term manager.

Following on from his temporary post as manager, Shaun Gardiner has now signed a two-year contract to manage the club.

Shaun, who has managed Sunday team Westbury Rangers for 25 years, as well as working as an assistant manager in Warminster, is looking forward to working with the team.

Shaun said, “I’m a Westbury lad and have followed the team for a long time, so naturally it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m really looking forward to helping the team improve. We’ve got a lot of promising young players coming up, so the focus for now will be on them getting their heads down and playing well for us.

“I’m also hoping to get the community more involved, and encourage Westbury to come down and watch the team play. We want to create a real community spirit and keep the young lads in the town excited about playing.”

Chairman Matt Bright has expressed his pride and delight at the announcement of Gardiner’s appointment.

Westbury United, who play in the first division of the Toolstation Western League, are in the middle of a tough season, as they are towards the wrong end of the table.

The team will be hoping to return to their winning ways under new management – they managed a top five finish in the 2010-11 season, and previously played in the premier division.

They now face a string of away games, beginning with 11th placed Cheddar on Saturday 14th March, before returning home to play Corsham on Monday 6th April.

The team play weekly – usually on a Saturday – at the Meadow Lane grounds. All are welcome and encouraged to support their town. Entry fees are: adults £5, senior citizens £3, and under 16s £2.50. All children are free when accompanied by an adult.