Prestbury Rovers Football Club have been around for a good many years – they’re 60 years old – but they’ve got a pretty young management team.

So says their chairman Grant Clark, who himself has only just turned 25, and is in his second season in the role.

All of the management team still play football, said Clark with some pride.

Clark is a defender in the club’s first team – although he let slip when talking to The Local Answer that he’d like to play centre midfield! – and he’s in good company because the club’s secretary Dan Skears and treasurer Robin Bussey are also first-teamers.

First-team manager Carl Blake is also part of the management team and he plays in the club’s flagship team, who play in Division Two of the Cheltenham League, while the reserve team manager Tom Surgenor, 24, plays for the club’s Division Three team.

Surgenor, like Blake, is in his second season in charge and he enjoyed a stellar campaign first time out as he guided the club to promotion from Division Four.

“He’s done a great job,” said Clark. “We were struggling to get 11 players out before he took over. He’s brought in quite a few of his friends who used to play for Prestbury’s under-18s, they’re all local lads.”

Blake’s debut season was a little tougher with the 1sts finishing just below halfway in Division Two.

Clark is hoping for better this time around.

“We’ve had a strong recruitment drive and brought in five or six players who will play every week,” said Clark. “The aim is to get promotion from Division Two although that may be a little ambitious after last season.”

The club will be looking to Chris Parsons and Giles Elliott to get among the goals regularly along with the experienced Brian Loveland if they are to push for promotion.

The next few weeks will determine whether Prestbury can challenge at the top end of the division this season but whatever happens in 2018/19 the club are certainly planning ahead.

“We want to be in Division One of the Northern Senior League within the next five years,” explained Clark, who is in his third season with the club.

Originally from Evesham – Clark plays for Broadway United in the Evesham Sunday League – he now lives in Cheltenham with his girlfriend Hetty Hyde-Durrant.

And he’s certainly pleased he’s linked up with Prestbury Rovers.

“They’re a really good club to play for,” he enthused, “I absolutely love it. There’s a really good social side.”

And as if to confirm that, Grant said the club were looking to go on an end-of-season tour to either Barcelona or Gibraltar.

“If we go to Gibraltar we’ll definitely play a game but I’m not so sure if we go to Barcelona, maybe Barcelona B,” he laughed.

And if they go on tour, will the players be accompanied by their wives and girlfriends?

“Definitely not,” he added, still laughing.

Mind you, Hetty doesn’t watch her boyfriend play football.

“She’s a netball player and she said she’d come and watch me play if I watched her play netball,” Clark explained.

And that’s something that obviously hasn’t happened.

“If I’m honest I don’t know who she plays for,” he laughed, “although I can guarantee she knows who I play for!”

The club are continuing to expand and are always happy to welcome new faces to training. For further details, contact Grant Clark or Dan Skears by emailing Prestburyroversfc@gmail.com