JOINT skipper Mark Smith will be exiting treble winners Alvechurch but striker Danny Dubidat and midfielder Jack Cresswell confirmed they will be part of their plans for next season.
Defender Smith will be heading to pastures new after ending a four-year spell with boss Ian Long, first at Tividale and then at Alvechurch in the past two seasons.
Smith ended the season lifting the league trophy with Dave Bellis and the JW Hunt Cup at Molineux, but he slipped behind Andy Parsons and Jamie Willets as first choice centre backs. Sporting Khalsa and Hinckley AFC have already made inquiries about the towering defender.
Boss Long said: “Mark has been a great servant and we’ve had some great success together. With Tividale and Alvechurch, he has won nine trophies in four seasons which is a fantastic return. He has played a big part in that – he has got a cool head on his shoulders, he’s good on the ball and he will definitely do somebody a good job wherever he goes.”
Long has already bolstered his defensive options by recruiting Ash Carter from Kidderminster Harriers.
The Lye Meadow boss and No 2 Richard Colwell have also secured the services of Dubidat and Cresswell for next term as Alvechurch prepare for their first season in Northern Premier Division One South.
Cresswell has been a regular figure in Long’s squad at Tividale and Alvechurch and proved his quality with big performances in key games, including the Polymac Packaging League Cup final win, while former Bedworth and Redditch striker Dubidat arrived as part of the autumn influx which proved the catalyst in a winning run which pushed the Churchmen into a title-winning position.
Barwell had been courting Dubidat before the frontman decided to remain at Lye Meadow.
“We know where we need strengthening and we’re trying to get one or two deals over the line but the first priority was to secure the players who gave us so much success,” said Long.
“They’re a pleasure to work with and they know how we work and what we expect.”
