FORMER Plymouth Argyle and Yeovil Town Ladies’ chief Steve Phelps has joined forces with Tim Davis in a bid to guide Weymouth Ladies to the next level in women’s football.

Working alongside Davis, Phelps has become joint-manager of the Terras following his departure from the Pilgrims, whom he bossed in the Premier League Southern Division last term.

Weymouth currently lie two tiers below that level but Phelps believes the future is bright.

He said: “Plymouth were taken over by another group of people, who have put their own people in place, so I had to step down, which is a shame.

“They went up into the Premier League last season but it took almost the whole season to sort the team out.

“When we did, we had a good squad in place but it wasn’t enough to keep us in the league unfortunately.

“I wanted to try and stay in the Premier League if I could but I have known Tim for a long time and he is a bit like me.

“He has been so dedicated to building Weymouth up, much like I was at Yeovil.

“So two people doing the same thing have now come together. He said we should do it as a joint role, which is something I haven’t done before but we get on so well that I thought why not give it a go.

“I’ve got experience at a higher level behind me and hopefully I can use that to help Weymouth.

“They have got some good young players there, but they will need some experienced ones to put the finishing touches on the squad and help move it to the next level.”

The South West Combination League is the next rung on the ladder and after a fourth-place finish in the South West League Premier Division last time out, Weymouth will no doubt have one eye on promotion in 2012/13.

Phelps added: “At the end of the day it’s about how organised and ambitious you are.

“But we will take things one step at a time. We will try and get in the Combination and then go from there.”