SIMON Penny believes Cam Bulldogs have the potential to win promotion to the Gloucestershire County League.

Penny is stepping down as manager of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League first division outfit after a ten-year spell in the dugout which has brought the most successful spell for the club in their history.

The 44-year-old has overseen the Bulldogs from the second division to high finishes on a regular basis in the top division.

Penny said: “If everything was in place for the club, they would go up. But there are strict rules in the County League that have stopped us because you need railings to play midweek matches and those cost a lot of money.”

And Penny has assured the Bulldogs that he will still be around the team next season despite suffering a horrible injury last weekend when he snapped his Achilles playing in a charity match.

The 44-year-old who lives in Cam will be in plaster for three months and then an orthopaedic boot for a number of months afterwards but insisted: “I won’t be moving on.”

Goalkeeper Ben Jagger is taking over the hot seat as player-manager, and Penny said: “I would like to pass my wishes onto all the lads and Ben.

“Ben has been at the club for 17 years. He is a mate of mine and if he needs a hand at times, I will be there for him.”

Penny has bowed out on a high with Cam winning the Gloucestershire Football Association Senior Amateur Cup when they beat Bourton Rovers, from the Hellenic League, 3-0 back in April.

The Bulldogs former boss said: “The ultimate for me was winning the County Cup which Cam have never won before. It’s a massive achievement.”

The outgoing boss also praised the committee for standing by him during his tenure. He said: “Whenever I had to make some difficult decisions, they backed me. All I have got is praise for the club and committee.

“I would also like to thanks Gary Browning and Stuart Grimwood who helped me out in my early stages of management and have supported me and the club and will carry on doing so.”

Cam Bulldogs chairman Russ Workman praised Penny for his efforts over the decade he has been in charge of the club.

Workman said: “The committee at Cam Bulldogs are thankful for his commitment over a decade. He will be missed on match day and all the work he has done around the club.

“He is the most successful manager in the club’s history, having won the Northern senior League Division One in 2015 and the County Cup in 2018, both of those are feats never achieved by the club before.

“He put the club back on the map. There is a new era under Ben Jagger. Simon is a hard act to follow and the committee are fully behind him.”

Training starts for the new season on Tuesday July 3 at Everside Playing Fields at 6.30pm and new and old players are welcome as we enter a new era.