FORMER Halesowen Town skipper Asa Charlton has been snapped up by Redditch United.

The left-sided defender, who's also played for Worcester City, walked out on The Yeltz last week after he and boss Paul Holleran held a meeting and agreed it was the right decision.

Charlton - who picked up Halesowen Town's player of the year award last season - was due to make his debut in a United shirt as the Reds took on Moor Green in the preliminary round of the Carthium Cup at the Moorlands last night (Tuesday).

Redditch United's assistant boss Gary Whild said: "We've had our eye on Asa for a while.

"He's played under us before and we showed an interest in him earlier on in the season.

"He'll be another addition to the squad but the bonus is he is naturally left footed - the only other in the team at the moment is Luke Prince."

But despite Asa's immediate introduction to the team, Whild has warned the defender that the Nationwide North is a massive step up from the Southern League Premier.

Whild added: "You have only got to look at the teams in our division to know it's a massive step up but he knows the situation well and I'm sure he'll meet our expectations."

The Reds assistant boss was bitterly disappointed with the players' reaction in last weekend's defeat in the FA Cup.

Whild said: "After the first 15 minutes the game should have been over but the players showed no responsibility after they (Histon) got back into the match.

"It would be hard to pick out any of our players for good performances in the second half."