....the new season with Arron Bradbury announcing that he is not quite ready for Step 3 football.

Disappointed Reds manager David Hewson told his club`s website: “He has made the decision not to make the step up with Workington as originally agreed. Arron feels it is not the right time to make the switch to Borough Park and intends to have another season at Step 6.

“He has thanked everyone involved for the opportunity and apologised for the decision coming so close to Saturday’s big kick-off.

“We are obviously surprised and disappointed with the timing of the announcement and did everything we could to encourage him to stay and give it a go. He has impressed during pre-season and looked capable of making a big impact this year – similar to the Matty Douglas rise to prominence.

“His departure leaves us short of attacking options for Saturday which we’ll be looking to rectify this week.”

Bradbury joined Reds in June after a great personal campaign with Hallmark Security League Division One North side Carlisle City where he swept the board at the end of season awards.

He made his Reds debut in the game at Whitehaven and made 8 appearances in the pre-season matches, scoring two cracking goals in the ‘in-house’ bounce game at Borough Park.

He made his final appearance for the club at Mossley AFC last Saturday.