GORNAL Athletic hope to have a new manager in place after this week's game with Dudley Town.

CEO Kevin Williams confirmed the club have interviewed a number of candidates in a bid to replace Matt Whitehouse.

Williams said: "As luck would have it, we don't have another game until October 1st, by which point we should have somebody in place for the rest of the season and hopefully beyond."

Concerned Williams is under no illusions of the task ahead as Gornal sit rock bottom of the West Midlands League Premier Division having lost all nine games to date.

He added: "The new manager's task is simply to keep us in the Premier Division and it's a matter of urgency that we appoint someone as whoever takes the job will only have 28 games to turn things around.

"It won't be easy as we're already having a job holding onto existing players. Liam Morris has only played twice for us but already we have seven days in for him from Cradley Town."