Chairman Peter Osborne welcomes the involvement of Lyne with the club. He told the club`s website: “I think that this is a brilliant addition to the club on-field team. 

“To even have a person of Andy’s experience chat to us was great. This means that I can concentrate on my role as chairman. We have a very strong off-field team involving committee members and great volunteers who work so hard to promote the club and take it forward. We are trying to create a pathway from first involvement with team football to the first team. 

“The club presently has two teams at under-10, two at under-11, one at under-14, one at under-18 playing in the Allied Counties League, a development team and first team. We hope that this pathway will be the way forward for these players to push forward. The first-team has a number of home-grown players including a number who have come through the youth programme, particularly the under-18s, and in our last match before lockdown, the club probably had five or six players if not more who have either progressed through the youth ranks or are still involved in the youth ranks.”

Manager Jamie Butt also welcomes the appointment: “Andy’s CV speaks for itself having managed at all of the top sides in Oxfordshire for a number of years. The fact that Andy was even interested in joining Clanfield shows the progress we are making. My assistant Chris Blakely and I have had some really positive conversations with Andy, and we look forward to getting started.”

Lyne himself is delighted to be back involved with local football having recently moved back to Oxfordshire from Cumbria and is now ready for a new football challenge.

He said: “In my discussions with the club I have been impressed with the structure that is in place, the clear vision for the future, and the high level of positivity and ambition that exists. I respect and fully support that the club is community focused with its emphasis clearly on the identification, development and progression to first-team football of talented young players from within the local area. Jamie Butt and Chris Blakely are a bright, talented and energized management pairing and I am hoping that my many years in football management, coaching, scouting and administration will help them and the club achieve their ambitions.”

Lyne’s many years in football management have involved management and administration spells with Witney Town, Oxford City, Banbury United, Witney United, Wantage Town, Bicester Town, Cirencester Town, Marlow, Burnham, AFC Newbury, Didcot Town and Abingdon United and he has also managed both the Hellenic League Premier and Division One representative teams.