Carty happy to play his part at Lane

The veteran midfielder had been helping in a voluntary role both under caretaker boss John Barton and since Richard Dryden moved into the hot-seat.

But he has now been appointed as fitness coach at the club where he spent six seasons and made close to 200 appearances.

The 41-year-old, whose playing career was ended by a broken leg at Bromsgrove Rovers last season, said: "I am really pleased to be involved at Worcester City. It's a club that's close to my heart. To be involved in any capacity is a great honour.

"When Richard came in I asked about the possibility of staying on and we had a chat about it.

"I have been asked to be involved with the fitness side. That's pretty much where my skills lie, helping the players to maintain a certain level of fitness and also to help nurse some of the other players who have been injured."

Carty is a fans' favourite at Worcester, where he was afforded a testimonial last year, and his new role rubber-stamps his place in the backroom team alongside Lane legend and assistant manager Carl Heeley.

He said: "It's nice to be thought of highly by the fans and it's a nice club to be involved with. Everyone who has played for Worcester City will say the same thing."

Carty also believes the team, who host Workington at the Lane this afternoon (3pm), has what it takes to push for the play-offs between now and the end of the season.

He said: "They are working hard in training and their application is excellent. They have got a good chance of making the play-offs if they keep listening to what the manager has got to say.

"You can't fault the effort and commitment of the players, they have been brilliant since the new manager has come in. He seems to have been able to get a bit more out of of the players. There's a positive atmosphere at the club.

"We had a little blip a few games ago when we conceded some silly goals but the squad are capable of making a challenge for the play-offs."