Richards completes defensive jigsaw

6:30pm Sunday 20th July 2008

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THE signing of Jemiah Richards marks the end of the defensive rebuilding programme at Worcester City.

Richards agreed to commit himself to the St George’s Lane club ahead of Saturday’s 0-0 friendly draw with Nuneaton Town.

The 22-year-old, who was on the books at Stafford Rangers last season, can play at centre-half or right-back and became manager Richard Dryden’s fifth summer acquisition.

Richards, together with fellow new recruits Jon Richardson and Ollie Barnes, completes a massive overhaul of the Worcester back-line following the switch to Blue Square South.

The departures of player-of-the-season Ryan Clarke, Chris Smith and Jon Munday left some big boots to fill but Dryden is confident he has found able replacements.

He said: “The defence is all done. We’ve got a lot of good players now at the back.

“We’ve got an old head in Jon, a young lad in Ollie who does know the game — you can see he’s very comfy on the ball — and Jemiah can play at centre-half or right-back. When you look at him, you think he can play anywhere. He’s enthusiastic, he’s a big lad and wants to win.

“Sometimes we leave ourselves open a bit at the back but I think we have brought in some good defenders who can cope with that with a little help from midfield.”