THE board of directors at Yate Town Football Club have announced their new Chairman.

The Bluebells have revealed Mark Thorne is the new chair of the football club after long-standing chairman Colin Pick decided to step down from the position over the weekend.

The board of directors appointed local businessman Thorne following his recent spell as commercial manager at the club.

Mark Thorne said he was happy to take the role in his hometown.

"I would like to thank the board directors for their backing and for having the confidence in me to take on this role," he said.

"I am aware that I follow a number of very notable bodies as chair people and I have some big shoes to fill.”

Following a number of recent losses, the club are now focussing on avoiding relegation from the Southern League Premier.

Thorne added: "I have spoken to the first team manager and will support him in whatever way I can to make sure we have the best chance of avoiding dropping out of the Southern League Premier Division.

"John and I are both local people who only want the best for the club and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve.

"It’s very important I hit the ground running and fully understand what’s going on and off the pitch financially and also the structure of the football club.

"The club has some very important home games going up so I would like to take this opportunity to thank the fans and urge them to continue to support us.

"I would also like to thank Colin for his years of loyal service and look forward to continuing to work alongside him."

Former Chairman Colin Pick will remain as a director on the board and will continue to focus on ground development projects at the club.

Mr Pick said he believed the club needed a new direction and is fully behind Mark to implement this.