Steve Palmer not planning a long stay in the AFC Wulfrunians hot-seat

Palmer had been in the hot-seat for five years before stepping down at the end of the last campaign.

Having remained on the committee, he is now back in caretaker charge – until the end of this term – after Richard Forsyth stepped down last week.

Palmer’s first game back at the helm was a 2-0 loss to Bromsgrove Sporting at the Castlecroft Stadium on Saturday.

“It’s been a long week, to be honest. It all just needed a bit of stabilising until the end of the season,” he said.

“We were 2-0 down after 11 minutes and I thought to myself, ‘What the hell have I let myself in for?’

“In fairness to the lads, though, they showed some character after that and came away from the game with a bit of pride which was pleasing.

“Bromsgrove were a better side than us by a long way, really – that is just how it is. But, as I say, we dug in and the lads showed character.”

Wulfrunians are 11th in the Midland League Premier table, with 32 points from 27 games.

On the long-term plans for the club, Palmer said: “We’ve decided as a committee to get some stability. I’m happy to do it until the end of the season, but I have no desire to do it next season. Things might change, but I very much doubt it.”

He added: “We’ll probably start looking in a few weeks for someone to take over for next season.

“The lads have done great to get 32 points on the board but we want to freshen things up in the summer – have some new players for a new manager to work with.”

Four goals by debutant Jack Jeys helped Sporting Khalsa prevail in an eight-goal thriller at Worcester City.

Skipper Tesfa Robinson also struck in a 5-3 victory. They are third in the table.

Lye Town – who are 15th – also won 5-3, against Rocester.

In Division One, Walsall Wood continue to lead the way. They thrashed Coventry Alvis 8-0 at home, racing into a four-goal lead with just six minutes on the clock. Jordan Fitzpatrick, Ben Lund, Lei Brown (two), Tony Clarke (two), Lee Butler and Paul Sullivan got the goals.

Heath Hayes beat local rivals Stafford Town 2-1, thanks to Regan Smith’s cool finish right at the death. Stafford are second from bottom.