ONE of the key men behind Worcester City’s ground-share deal with Bromsgrove Sporting has urged city council bosses to get a “get a grip” and bring the exiled club home.

Sporting chairman Jon Prescott said he was delighted to get the agreement over the line after opening talks with City at the end of last year.

Worcester are set to play their home games at Bromsgrove’s home for the next two seasons and Prescott admitted he would be happy to offer them a further two years.

However, Prescott, a former director at City, insists it is a “tragedy” they are not playing in Worcester and believes the city council need to do more to help the Vanarama National League North outfit.

“Hopefully, the city council will sit up, take notice and realise that Worcester City belong in the city of Worcester, not elsewhere,” Prescott said.

“I would not want Bromsgrove Sporting to play in Worcester because they are a Bromsgrove team and that is the same for Worcester City.

“Yes, financially it is great for Bromsgrove Sporting (that City are playing at the Victoria Ground) but that’s not the be-all-and-end-all.

“The city council need to get a grip. Hopefully, they will think, ‘OK, the football club are playing up the road at little Bromsgrove but it is about time they came back to the city’.”

City bosses decided to end their three-year stay at Aggborough after landlords Kidderminster Harriers increased the rent from £21,000 to £45,000.

Prescott refused to say how much they will be charging Worcester but insists they will be “paying a lot less” than at Kidderminster and believes it will help keep City afloat.

New turnstiles, toilets, segregation gates and push barriers in front of the main stand have been installed to get Sporting’s ground up to National North standard.

Prescott added: “The option to play for a third year is there and if they want to be here for four years, then we will sort something out for them.

“But hopefully by the end of two years there will be something in place to get them back to Worcester.”

City director Rob Crean said financially it was a “no-brainer” to ground-share at Bromsgrove and believed the Victoria Ground had a “similar feel” to St George’s Lane.

But he was keen to stress their determination to return to Worcester as they bid to build a 4,100-capacity ground at Perdiswell Park.

“We want to get the most robust application, so it has got the best chance of passing,” he added. “Once that goes through, we can start talking to the council about the land and then raise the money, which will be the next challenge.”

Councillor Marc Bayliss, leader of the city council, said: “I am delighted the club have found a new temporary home in Bromsgrove.

“Things are unchanged in Worcester as the council are keen to work with the club to find a way of bringing them back.”