Ashton & Backwell United manager Stuart Jones has stepped down after three years with The Stags.
The former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper was hired in May 2018, where he took over form Paul Waring and Rich Ford.
Under Jones, A&B would end his first season in fourth place in Toolstation Western League Division One, after finishing 18th the campaign before.
But after two consecutive null and void seasons, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jones has decided to depart the club.
He said: “Obviously I’m sad in a lot of ways, there are some excellent people at the club in Mike (Thomas), Matt (Southern) and Charlie (Cole) and Nick (Smart) and his group.
“It wouldn’t have been as good without the players, there’s no mistaking that, the players deserve tremendous amounts of credit for what they have done for me.
“How they have listened, they have implemented what we asked, it is what it is, it’s football.
“Last season I think we would have done it [gained promotion]. This season, obviously 10 games in, no one knows but my enthusiasm, due to the coronavirus, isn’t what it was.
“I would be doing the club an injustice by just milling along, the club deserve more than that.
“I felt it was the right time for the club to get the right person in, because there’s a long time before the start of the season and I would be amazed if there wasn’t a lot of people interested.”
Chairman Mike Thomas revealed Jones leaves the club with his blessing, adding: “I really didn’t want him to leave, the conversations we had was that I made it absolutely clear we were really pleased and happy with him as manager of the club.
“I discussed every avenue to see what we could do and he made his mind up that he had certainly gone as far as he could do with the club and he needed a new challenge.
“We wish him all the best but we wish he wasn’t going. He’s got all the managerial skills to progress quite a way up the pyramid system.
“I’ll be disappointed if he took another job that was sideways, in our division for example, the skills he’s got he could go to Southern League and beyond quite comfortably.
“He’s a very good manager and he will be an asset to any club he goes to.”
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