LEDBURY Town have withdrawn from the West Midlands League with immediate effect.

The New Street club were at the foot of the Division One table, without a point from seven matches.

"With the first team languishing in a near-unrecoverable position at the bottom of Division One of the West Midlands League without a single point after seven games and over thirty goals conceded, together with the additional problems of retaining players of sufficient quality to turn things around and the increasing costs of match officials for home games and transport to away games, it was deemed necessary by the board to quit the league now rather than prolong the seemingly inevitable and run in to further costs in the near future," said a club statement.

"The club is currently in the process of drawing up a strategic five year plan for the future based around developing and retaining young local talent, with the seeds of which having already been sown with the introduction of the newly formed Ledbury Colts 3rds side formed from the Cradley Sports Under 18s team who joined the club at the start of the current season.

"The Colts look forward to starting their campaign in Division Three of the Herefordshire Football League, while high-flying Ledbury Town Reserves continue to seek promotion to the Premier Division of the same league as the club still very much looks forward to a new and brighter future as it seeks to make the changes and develop the talent needed in order to stage a confident return to the West Midlands League over the coming years."