6:30pm Sunday 20th July 2008
By Steve Carley
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.”
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