EX-Cherries star John Sainty has thrown his hat into the ring to become the new manager at Wessex League outfit Ringwood Town.

Sainty, who played alongside Ted MacDougall during Cherries’ 1971 promotion campaign, has a wealth of experience in coaching and management.

The former Spurs, Reading and Aldershot striker made 134 appearances for Cherries after being signed for £5,000 by Freddie Cox in February 1970.

Sainty went on to coach under ex-Cherries boss John Bond at both Manchester City and Norwich before taking up his first managerial post at Chester.

An England schoolboy international, he also managed non-league outfits Glossop and Mossley and was Academy director under Dave Jones at Southampton in the late 1990s.

Sainty, who lives locally, was among the crowd to see Ringwood suffer a 3-0 defeat against arch Wessex One rivals Verwood at Potterne Park on Wednesday.

Caretaker bosses Steve Steele and Andy Graves are also in the frame to replace Wayne Lockey at the Canotec Stadium with an appointment expected next month.

Ringwood were sunk by two goals from Mike Haskell and a first-half effort from Luke Homer as Verwood forged five points clear at the top of the table.

Tom Yeats, Ryan Bladen and Jason Hardy have all returned to the Ringwood fold, while Cherries apprentices Marco Zocci and Brad Strickland have followed Lockey to Laverstock & Ford.

Verwood: Lynch, Kelly, Dear, Dyer, Evans, Smith, Webb, Satterley, Haskell (Barnett, 89), Gajic, Homer. Unused subs: Wilson, Anderton, Morrison.

Ringwood: Taylor, Yeats, Osman (Hardy, 83), Tyler (Manning, h-t), Pierson, Morrell, Heggan (Ridout, h-t), Eley, Elezi, Edwards, J Brown. Unused subs: Howes, Elson.

• New recruits Steve Whitcher and Lee Chudy look set to make their home debuts for Hamworthy United when they host Wessex Premier rivals Alresford Town tonight (7.45pm kick-off).

Whitcher, who lined up in Hammers’ 2-1 defeat at Downton on Tuesday, and Chudy have both joined Simon Browne at the County Ground after leaving Lymington Town.

Browne is hoping the pair will add quality to his squad having both gained a wealth of experience at Southern League level. Whitcher and Chudy played under Browne’s brother Alex Browne at Wimborne and were also team-mates at Lymington & New Milton.

Hammers: (from) Evans, Yelland, Lockyer, Haysom, Byrom, Lanahan, Whitcher, Robinson, Pidgley, Corby, Stacey, Hunt, Currell, Chudy, Burbidge, Murphy.