"When I was appointed three seasons ago, my brief was to finish mid-table, and to try to do well in cup competitions.

"During the past three seasons I have achieved all my objectives, finishing the 2007/8 season by winning the Wiltshire Senior Cup and having respectable runs in the FA Vase and FA Cup.

"The club has also seen four players move on to Southern League Premier teams while under my management.

"I am also disappointed with the timing of this decision as the announcement was made two weeks before the presentation evening.

"I respect the chairman has to make these decisions, and in general I have had a good working relationship with him. Running a football club will never be easy but my final disappointment was that someone close to me knew my fate two days before I did.

"I find this a bit hard to swallow and it has left a bitter taste in my mouth, but as the saying goes, There are no friends in football.' "I would like to publicly thank Mark Jefferies, Brian Evans, Tim Spear, Dave Clayton and Pete Cooper for supporting me with the running of all three teams during my management career at MTFC.

"I would also like to thank all the other people who work extremely hard behind the scenes and on match days, from Derek on the gate through to Jen in the kitchen.

"The only positives I can take from this decision, is that I will be financially better off and will now be able to buy a smaller car, which is a bonus in the current climate.

"I will be looking to continue in management and I will consider any other options, I feel my CV over the last five years speaks for itself."