REBUFFED Halesowen Town boss John Hill was left "flabbergasted" by transfer target Josh March's decision to stay at Alvechurch.

Hill has made no secret of his desire to recruit in recent weeks but hit a dead end when free-scoring March opted to remain with at Lye Meadow outfit to play two tiers below Yeltz.

The Grove manager took to social media to express his disappointment over a lack of ambition from younger players, prompting a backlash from Church counterpart Ian Long who argued the comments had been "disrespectful".

Hill told the News: "It was a general assessment but I have to admit, I was flabbergasted when Josh turned us down on Sunday.

"That is nothing against Alvechurch, they have made great strides over the past few years. I have known Ian a long time and he is doing a great job.

"But Josh is 19 and lives next to our ground. I told him he would have played in team two divisions higher and in his position, I would have jumped at the chance. Why wouldn't you want to make that step?

"There has been a change in mentality among players, more so in the young ones. The hardened pros are the ones who will do the travelling and live up to the standard but the younger ones don't seem to want to step out of their comfort zone.

"The comments were not aimed at Josh in particular but I would be lying if I said I was not very disappointed with his decision.

"We are still looking and have a few irons in the fire. We will not just make changes for the sake of it but the start has not been good enough so we have been identifying areas to strengthen.

"The players have to be right for us and fit into our system."

Hill revealed Yeltz would continue to be active in the transfer market but that he was unlikely to sign anyone prior to Saturday's FA Cup second qualifying round tie at home to Belper Town (3pm).

The Nailers, who play one division below Halesowen, conquered heavyweights Hednesford in the last round.

"We have a report on them and we know it is going to be a very difficult tie," added Hill. "Hednesford beat us convincingly earlier this season so it will be a tough task but as the home side, we are looking forward to it."

Lee Chilton (cup tied) and Dan Bragoli (unavailable) miss the clash.

Kaiman Anderson's brace and a goal from new signing Jordan Goddard gave Halesowen a 3-2 win over Workington on Saturday.