BICESTER Town joint-manager Eddie Nix has hit out after the club had to turn down promotion due to the lack of a home ground, writes Matthew Bruce.

Nix and fellow boss John Prpa led Bicester to second place in Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 East in their first season after re-forming.

But the club have had to reject promotion to the Premier Division due to their inability to find a home of their own, which is required by the league for teams in the top flight.

Town will not return to their former Oxford Road home after talks broke down between the club and landlords Bicester Sports Association.

The Foxhunters, who re-formed 12 months ago after a four-year absence from senior football, have played at Ardley United this season, where they will remain for the 2016-17 campaign.

But their ambitions of returning to the town remain unfulfilled after a failure to reach an agreement with the owners of Oxford Road, where Bicester had played since 1929 prior to folding.

“For the fastest-growing town in Europe to not have a senior football club, it’s wrong,” said joint manager Eddie Nix.

“It’s scandalous that in a town of this size, there is nowhere that could host a football club.

Nix claimed the club had been told that the facilities at Oxford Road were no longer up the standard required for their level of football and the BSA would not spend the money to improve them.

He added that the club been offered a £100,000 grant from the FA to do the work.

A deal has been agreed to remain at Ardley for another season and Nix and Prpa will remain in charge of the team.

But the news came as a big blow to Nix.

“I’m very disappointed,” he said.

“We’ve worked so hard and the players have done extremely well this season.

“The prospect of going up was extremely appealing to them.

“But without a reserve side we’ll struggle to compete at any level.

“It’s upsetting, but without a ground of our own, it’s best if we stay where we are.”

Before going to press, the Bicester Advertiser tried, without success, to speak to a representative of the BSA for their side of the story.