Jomar Wilkinson has joined the Robin Hood youth programme having stepped down as Southampton Rangers coach at the end of last season.

He will take charge of the Warwick Archers under-15 team, filling the void of Dennis Brown, who is returning to Somerset Trojans as their technical director and first-team coach.

Wilkinson, who led Rangers to the First Division title and Shield last term, has a proven track record, having enjoyed a trophy-laden period as coach of top-flight side Dandy Town.

Richard Todd will continue to serve as the Warwick Archers programme director and considers Wilkinson as the ideal candidate to succeed Brown, who co-founded the club’s youth programme in 2016.

“We thank Dennis for the dedication and service he has given to establish a level of excellence with the Warwick Archers programme and wish him all the best with his new appointment at Somerset,” said Todd, who was recruited to the club by Brown in 2017.

“His experience and expertise would be a loss for any programme, but we are pleased that we can make a significant acquisition in Jomar Wilkinson to join the coaching staff and offset the departure of Dennis Brown.

“Jomar is a passionate and knowledgeable coach, and his teams have demonstrated an exciting brand of attacking football.

“He possesses the qualifications and qualities that we believe will benefit the young players at the Warwick Archers in developing their game and achieving their football goals, while helping the programme to continue to grow and maintain a level of excellence.”

Steven Simons, the Hood president, has welcomed Wilkinson, who has a Uefa B licence, to their programme.

“We’re obviously sad to see Dennis go; he’s been instrumental in building this programme and we thank him for all of his hard work and dedication over the past few years.

“The club is continuing to grow and establish ourselves as a real powerhouse in Bermuda football and part of that is overcoming unexpected hurdles such as these.

“Jomar joining allows us to continue our upward trend within the youth setup and were extremely excited to see how he can help continue the momentum.”

The Warwick Archers youth programme has won titles in the under-13 and under-15 age groups in each of the past three seasons.