The future of Brierley Hill and Withymoor FC hangs in the balance according to a dejected manager Tony Gore.

The West Midlands Premier Division outfit have been rocked by the resignation of chairman Stephen Lea and the boss fears the worst for a club that has been in existence since 1955.

The chairman is the latest of a long list of departures with general manager Roy Pearson saying his farwells before the end of the season, secretary Margaret Turner leaving her post and U18s manager Dave King moving to take up a similar role at Stourbridge.

The shocking news comes as a bolt from the blue for a club that started the season in such high spirits following the amalgamation of Withymoor Colts and Brierley and Hagley FC and their first ever appearance in the FA Cup.

Less than 12 months on and Gore does not have much hope for the club he has been in charge of for more than nine years.

He said: "I fear the worst for the club If I'm to be honest.

"When the merger was sorted out last summer we were all very excited about the future but since then everything seems to have gone wrong for us.

"I'm hoping to sit down with Roy Pearson to discuss things, but the next two weeks will be crucial for the future of this club.

"It would be an absolute tragedy if this club was to disappear, but that is a real possibility when you consider our current plight"

Gore is keen to stay on as manager and look after the playing side.

But he admits he would be unable to take over the running of the club both on and off the pitch.

He said: "I would love to stay on as manager because this is a club very close to my heart having been here for nearly 10 years.

"But with the current situation we are faced with there is no way I can do everything on my own.

"You look at the likes of Tividale, Lye Town and Dudley Town and they have five or six people behind the scenes helping out and realisticaly that is what we need.

"Of course if we are to keep the club going we will need a new chairman to come in and look after the finances.

"If somebody does come in and they wanted to bring in their own man I would be disappointed but if it meant this club was to keep running I would be more than happy to step aside."