Major boardroom changes at Chelmsford City Football Club have seen the return of former chairman Trevor Wright.

Among the five departures last week were the club's former director of football, Brian Honeywood.

The changes, which will see a slimmed down board of only six directors, led by current chairman, Peter Stroud, are aimed at structuring the club better for future developments which include the building of a new £2.65m stadium at Springfield.

Along with Honeywood, the other directors leaving the club are David Coward-Talbot, Richard Bonnington while the most recent new recruit to the board, Tim Rosbottom, has also left.

For Trevor Wright it is a quick return to the boardroom, having stepped down as vice-chairman in June this year when he said he was expected to join Nationwide League newcomers Cheltenham Town as a director.

But this subsequently failed to materialise and as the man who five years ago led from the terraces the supporters in a successful rescue to save the club from extinction - he has always supported the club since a schoolboy - he now returns.

He had stepped down as chairman in September 1998 blaming increased business commitments, allowing the then vice-chairman, Peter Stroud, to take over at the helm.

The full compliment of City directors now comprises of the chairman, Peter Stroud, club secretary David Selby, Adrian Neale, Peter Lawrence, Brian Connolly, a local solicitor and Trevor Wright.

Explaining the shake-up, Mr Stroud said: "The restructuring is part of our long term plans to aid the development of the club both on and off the field.

"We need to have the right team in place in the boardroom so the right progress can be made in a professional and business-like manner," he said.

"I believe we now have a workable team of the right size and calibre to achieve our aims which is to bring the club back into the borough with the new stadium."

"There is a great deal of hard work still to be done but I'm confident that with our agreed business plan in place, the finance in place and the new board of directors in place we will achieve our goals.

"Our loyal supporters have been extremely patient with no ground of our own and having to travel to Billericay for every home game yet we still average nearly 500 a game.

"But we are now determined they, the players, the club and the whole community will be rewarded soon with a new home back in the county town," he added.

Discussions last Friday between the club and developers went well and it is hoped all the legal agreements over the 10.4 acre site can be formally tied up before Christmas.

This will enable the club to then make a formal application to the borough council for outline planning permission for the new 6,000 capacity stadium, which will meet Nationwide League ground grading approval.

The club's aim is to initially have an artificial all-weather sports pitch with portable changing rooms on the new ground by next September, and after further building work, to kick off their 2001/02 season at the completed stadium.

Trevor Wright, former City chairman, has returned to the board.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.