ROSS Baxter believes his successor Dan Protherough has inherited a Bromsgrove team that can compete in the National League Three Midlands.

Baxter has stepped down as head coach at Finstall Park after seven seasons at the helm.

He will be replaced by former Droitwich RFC and North Midlands coach Dan Protherough, who now begins his preparations for the 2014-15 campaign.

Baxter has overall enjoyed a successful tenure at the Boars, guiding them to the National Two North - the highest level they have every played at.

They spent three seasons competiting against sides with bigger budgets such as Stourbridge and Macclesfield.

Unfortunately, an inexperienced side struggled this season and suffered relegation.

Baxter said: "I don't think Dan would have taken the role if he didn't think the team was good enough.

"Teams go through five or six year phases so it was inevitable the team would have to be refreshed, unfortunately the team is quite young.

"When you get into a losing streak it can be hard to get out of it but he will be looking to get the team back into a winning habit.

"Dan will have already set things, in motion. It's important to have your squad settled for when training starts.

Baxter, who works for the RFU, is set to take a break from coaching, although he has been enlised to look after his son's under-15s side at Bromsgrove.

He said: "After such a long time out, I need a break to re-charge my batteries.

"I work for the RFU so it's not as though I will be away from rugby.

"I certainly would be interested in returning to coaching but it would depend on my job and family."

The Boars concluded the season with a 19-12 home defeat to Otley on Saturday with a performance that summed up their campaign.

Despite dominating for long periods, Bromsgrove paid the price for a lack of cutting edge, with Hugh Lockhart and Cillian Paget touching down.