BRIDPORT Reserves will see a change in management next season as Murray Legg takes over the reins from Adam Herring.

There will be continuity for the Bees, with Herring stepping down to assistant-manager and Shaun Annetts staying on as a coach.

Herring was appointed as the Bees' second-string manager by first-team boss Chris Herbst in October 2022.

The reserves finished 15th of 17 sides in the Dorset Premier League last season and are 14th of 16 in the 2023/24 campaign, on the bubble of the drop zone.

READ MORE: Beaminster appoint Murray Legg as new manager

Bridport confirmed the news in a brief statement late on Thursday evening.

"We are delighted to announce that Murray Legg has agreed to manage Bridport FC Reserves next season.

"Murray joins us from Beaminster having confirmed his decision."

Explaining his decision, Legg said: “I’m really excited by it. I haven’t approached any (Beaminster) players but there are hopefully a couple that will come with me.

“Bridport have got a good squad anyway really, they just need to add one or two players to develop them.

“They’re a big club and they’re obviously on the up. They shared their vision with me and I just want to be a part of that. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Legg’s arrival means Herring will step down to assistant and the latter is content with his revised role for the 2024/25 campaign.

He said: “Me and Murray are good friends and we’ve always been involved with football together.

“It was going to go one of two ways. He wanted me to go back to Beaminster, and I tried to get him to come over last pre-season.

“But with Neil stepping aside and all the players saying they wanted him to take over, he said he’d do it.

“He’s never really wanted to go into management but he’s loved it. He wanted to take it further, so I’ve tried to persuade him.

“We’ve always talked about doing something together. When I took the job, I wanted to get back involved again.

“It just made sense for him to come over. I was happy for him to put his name down to be manager and I still want to help, so does Shaun. It’s the best-case scenario.”

Finally, first-team boss Chris Herbst weighed in with his viewpoint, adding: “Adam loves doing the assistant side of things.

“He and Murray are like best friends. They’ve been chatting away and we’ve finally got them over.

“He’s going to bring over a few players and he needs an extra pair of hands. I always thought you needed three.

“Adam’s happy for Murray to be manager and it’s a no-brainer for us. It’s going to benefit the reserves.”

Meanwhile, Legg is currently in his first season with Beaminster having taken over from Neil Holt in the summer.

Legg will continue in his role until the end of the term with the Rainbows.

The Memorial Ground outfit occupy fifth of 11 teams in Dorset League Division One having been relegated from the Dorset Senior League last season.

Legg's exit means two of west Dorset's largest clubs, Beaminster and Lyme Regis, are searching for new managers ahead of the 2024/25 season.