Hall Road Rangers have announced that Martin Thacker has agreed to take over their first team managerial duties on a permanent basis.

Thacker, pictured below, will continue playing for the club and reclaims the role which he held before the appointment of former manager Billy Heath, who resigned from the post two weeks ago.

Hall Road chairman Darren Wilson and the club's committee decided the right course of action would be to offer Thacker the position permanently, given his wealth of knowledge and the respect he holds among the local footballing fraternity.

Wilson said: "We believe that Martin is the ideal man to take the club forward having been a player and ex-manager.

"He will have the best interests of the club at heart and as a club, we offer him our full support."

Thacker has moved swiftly to appoint an assistant, installing Dave Ingram, another ex-Hall Road player, as his number two.

"Hall Road Rangers would also like to thank all those people who applied for the job, even though the club hadn't advertised the position," Wilson added.

"This goes to show that the club is moving in the right direction and the esteem in which it is held in the footballing community."