First Division Esh Winning have appointed Andrew Soppitt as their new manager.

Soppitt is currently manager of Cornforth United in the Durham Alliance, and will be helped by experienced pair Richie Alderson and Gary O'Hara, who both played for several Northern League and Unibond League clubs.

He will take over at the end of the season from Peter Mulcaster, and secretary David Thompson said: "Andrew and his team bring a different dimension to the club. He is young, intelligent, enthusiastic and competent and we feel sure he will be a success in the post; his appetite to build a set-up commensurate with the club’s vision for the future made him our choice. We hope this is the long term appointment for the challenging time ahead. "This season has not been the easiest for all concerned with the club and it looks likely that we will be relegated. This is despite the initial appointment of a very promising young manager and coach in Adam Furness, however things got off to a bad start and we failed to win a game in fifteen matches, we then looked to the experience of Peter Mulcaster who has begun to turn things around although it looks unlikely we will avoid relegation and Peter has expressed a wish to leave at the end of the season.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Adam and Peter for their efforts during the season because that was not the reason for our failure on the field, both gave their very best and we are extremely grateful to them for that.

"The committee accepts that Esh Winning FC are a village in a former pit community and it is important we retain and build upon those local ties as we rebuild a team and management set-up that is incorporated in the club as a whole.

"We believe that Andrew and his team can build that set-up which will give us long standing security and an identity as a local friendly club. We know we are unable to compete financially with some clubs in Division I but we do aim to be a thorn in their side in the not too distant future."

Soppitt will be watching his new club in action when his commitments with Cornforth allow.