Following the collapse of their merger with Deal Town, Deal Town Rangers Youth Football Club have decided to form their own senior side.

Rangers, who are based at Castle Community College, run 21 boys, mixed and girls teams and are now planning to enter a team in the Vandanel Kent County League for the 2011-12 season.

Last week, the new Deal Town committee made clear in a statement that, as far as they were concerned, the merger project between the two clubs was over and Rangers have responded by announcing their plans to run an adult side for the first time.

Stuart McCluskey, Rangers’ development officer, said: "As one of the largest youth football clubs in Kent and a Charter Standard Community Club, it is incumbent on us to provide an exit route into senior football for our players.

"Due to the irreversible breakdown of the merger with Deal Town FC, it is imperative we make the move into senior football.

"I have always believed that as a club, through our excellent volunteer coaches, use of the superb facilities at Castle Community College and commitment to the provision of quality training along with the raw talent in the town, we can help to produce players capable of playing at a decent level.

"Entry into the Kent County League, which is Step 7 in the league pyramid, will provide a platform for the youngsters of Deal to show their abilities and will act as a ‘shop window’, as we know that clubs from higher-level leagues watch players.

"This initiative, along with the fact that we are now entering teams into the Kent Youth League under our own banner, means that we are fulfilling the mission statement Bob Chivington and I outlined two years ago which was to present a natural progression to players through youth football into intermediate football."