WORCESTER City will seek a temporary homecoming while chasing the Perdiswell dream – but director Dave Wood believes the homeless club “probably will” stay at Bromsgrove for next season.

City has played home games from Bromsgrove Sporting’s Victoria Ground since the start of the 2016-17 season following three years sharing at Kidderminster Harriers.

With cash reserves dwindling, the club dropped three levels into the Midland Football League after the first campaign of a two-year arrangement with Sporting.

In March 2018 that arrangement was extended to cover this season with City holding an option for 2019-20, one that Wood – chairman of Worcester City Supporters’ Trust as well as being a club director since August – accepts is likely to be exercised.

“To wait until Perdiswell gets built would be very difficult,” said Wood.

“I am very grateful for what we have at Bromsgrove and what we had at Kidderminster. The groundshare arrangements have certainly served their purpose.

“We probably will be playing here (Bromsgrove) next season, although I don’t know for sure because we haven’t got as far as those details yet.

“But from the point of view of the trust and the club, I want us to be playing back in Worcester as soon as we can.

“That would be our intention, to create that situation.

“Bromsgrove have been very good to us. Realistically we probably will end up staying here I think. My desire is to get back to Worcester but that is easier said than done.”

When the club’s accounts for last season got released in December, the notes acknowledged “the directors recognise that the likelihood is that games will continue to be played away from its traditional base for a number of years and that this places additional strains on the ability to reach a position of financial neutrality”.

And with plenty of hurdles to overcome in relation to Perdiswell, Wood is no closer to having a timescale for the project.

“It is very difficult, we have to see what the will of the people and the council is,” he added.

“First of all we have to go with a robust package to convince the council that it is a viable proposition to support. We want all-party support on it, we don’t want it to be a political thing.

“This should be for the good of the city and future generations.

“We have three years in the planning approval to dig our first sod. I don’t know how long it is going to take to get debated through the council, to talk about funding streams and to the various communities in our city and beyond.

“There is a lot of work to do but we have started. It is just a case of taking it step by step and so far, we have achieved everything we wanted to. We have never changed our mantra.

“There are still many questions that need to be answered by the relevant stakeholders at the council, we have to get that lease or land transfer – whichever way is the most viable – and work with our civic leaders to achieve it.

“That’s where I come in. I want to work with all of the parties and all of the councillors to make this something the city should be proud of.”

  • Part four of our interview with Dave Wood will run on Monday.