Birmingham & Solihull's Reece Spee to train with Moseley

Oct 6 2009 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Mail

ONE of Bees’ longest-serving players, Reece Spee, will train with Moseley this evening with a view to crossing the city’s divide.

The outstanding full-back is the latest Birmingham & Solihull player to become disillusioned with life at Sharmans Cross Road and the club’s well-publicised money troubles.

Which means the New Zealander is set to become the next man to try to fill the huge void left by the retirement of Andy Binns.

Although terms have not yet been agreed, Spee, who sat out Bees’ defeat to Rotherham on Saturday, will be at training tonight and could even make the squad for this weekend’s visit from Plymouth Albion.

But the 30-year-old insists it is with a heavy heart that he has to leave the club he joined in the summer of 2006 from Irish province Ulster.

“I am gutted it’s ended like this,” said Spee.

“It was awesome at Bees when things were on the up, Russell and Eugene’s coaching was awesome too.

“But financially we just can’t stay there. I’ve got an 11-month-old son and a mortgage.

“I just can’t do it any more, for my family it would have been ridiculous to hang around for the next six weeks having not been paid for the last two months.

“I’m training with Moseley and we’ll see what happens from there.”

Spee knows Mose prop Terry Sigley from his time with the Solihull outfit and has played Sevens with Rob Thirlby, the man he will challenge for the full-back berth.

With his versatility, pace and committed defence, the former Bay of Plenty three-quarter would be a perfect fit for Moseley’s expansive game plan.

While Thirlby has scored a try and three conversions since moving from Redruth in the summer, he has failed to impress defensively and that could open the door for Spee.