BUNGAY Town have moved quickly to appoint a new first team manager following the resignation of Mike Derbyshire.He has left to join Ridgeons League Division One side Gorleston as assistant manager.

BUNGAY Town have moved quickly to appoint a new first team manager following the resignation of Mike Derbyshire.

He has left to join Ridgeons League Division One side Gorleston as assistant manager.

Now the Black Dogs have Robert Hepburn in the hot seat and on Tuesday he saw his new team only draw 0-0 at home to Anglian Combination Division One basement side Sole Bay.

Hepburn is an ex-professional boxer, living in Carlton Colville.

He has been involved in football management at a local level at both Beccles and Corton with mixed success.

Now he is looking to stabilise Bungay's season after the departure of yet another manager in mid-season.

The committee designated to appoint a successor to Derbyshire were impressed with Hepburn's desire and his ideas about creating a competitive team in Bungay's second season back in senior football.

Club chairman Jon Fuller said: “I am certain all the players with Bungay in their blood will stay and fight their way out of what could become a relegation battle.

“The addition of a couple of players to a squad already filled with quality will help the first team set up properly for an exciting second half of the season.”

Bungay Town 0, Sole Bay United 0

THIS game under the Maltings Meadow floodlights on Tuesday evening matched the weather - horrible, writes Terry Reeve.

Both sides struggled to find any rhythm on the sodden pitch which quickly cut up, and despite the best efforts of the drenched and frozen players, neither side carved out any real openings throughout the 90 minutes - mercifully the referee added no time in either half.

A share of the spoils was probably a fair result of a game in which the weather certainly lifted players out of their Christmas lethargy - but did little more.

Highlights were few, and Bungay's new keeper Ian Barber - brought in following the shoulder injury suffered by previously ever-present Robert Long - had little chance to demonstrate his wide experience.

Ash Ling worked an opening for the Black Dogs before firing narrowly wide, and in another home attack the same player saw a chip over the keeper come back off

the bar.

Brookes got in one low effort for Sole Bay but Barber took it comfortably. And the Sole Bay keeper took a low effort from Joe McFarlane after Paul Bullen had set up the chance.

Early in the second half a subtle chip from 20 yards from Ainsley Baynes beat the keeper but just cleared the bar, then Baynes forced the keeper to turn a good effort away for a corner.

At the other end Barber made a good save at his near post from a fierce effort from Freeman and then blocked another goal bound shot. But pretty football was impossible in the conditions, though Bungay put together one passing move which ended with Sean Whiteman firing in a shot that was not too far off target.

Baynes looked the most likely to break the deadlock and saw the keeper turn a late effort round the post. Sole Bay netted with three minutes left, but the flag was already up for offside.

Team: I Barber, M Shipley, C Hunting, J Doughty, S Whiteman, J McFarlane, P Bullen, N Renaut, B Davies (D Lowe), A Ling (S Payne), A Baynes.

Bungay have no game on Saturday. The Reserves visit Watton Reserves. On Wednesday the U18s are away to Yarmouth U18s.