BUSINESSMAN Andrew Connolly has joined forces with Brent Peters at the helm of Bacup Borough.

And Peters believes that the new partnership, which will enable him to concentrate on football matters at West View, signals a bright future for the club.

It does not mean there will be a sudden influx of finance but the arrival of Connolly will free Peters to concentrate on managing the team.

"Andrew has come in as a partner and, together, I believe we can make Bacup a club for Rossendale people to be proud of," said Peters.

"When I took over 11 months ago, I had to concentrate on the social side to get that right. But with Andrew now joining me, it gives me a chance to make sure we progress on the football side.

"He is a local lad from Rossendale and, while his business is nationwide, it is based in Church. He was captain of Rossendale Rugby Club for many years and has a lot of good contacts in both the business and sporting worlds.

"Andrew's wife Sandra will also have some imput and it will help bring stability to Bacup.

"The ground had to brought up to standard and we needed to improve the social side which has been done. We have come a long way in 11 months but the timing is important. We are only five months away from the new season and I want to go a stage further now and progress the club on the field."

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