Kevin Watson was in for the long haul at Ashford United but, after less than a season, the club have opted to make a management change.

Watson was told of the decision to relieve him of his duties on Saturday after they had just beaten Littlehampton Town 1-0 at home - a result that left the Nuts & Bolts 11th in the Isthmian South East table.

That win followed a 4-2 defeat at Isthmian Premier Division Chatham Town in the Velocity Cup semi-final.

Watching the weekend game were the new interim management team of Alan Walker and his assistant Darren Hare, who have now taken over with immediate effect.

It was a blow to Watson, who leaves along with his management team of Adam Flanagan and Tommy Osborne.

Speaking of his dismissal, the former Chatham Town and Cray Valley manager said: “I certainly didn’t go into this with the expectation that the duration of it would be less than a season, that is not me, I don't try and work short term on things.

“The team are sitting a couple of positions lower than the previous year, which was ninth, the FA Trophy run equalled the furthest round the club had achieved since being reformed.

“We reached the League Cup semi-finals, we didn’t progress as far in the FA Cup as we would have liked, but we tried to implement a style of play, recruitment has been quite difficult.

"We wanted to try and assemble a squad over a period of time, looking at younger talent in Kent that don’t maybe get the opportunities they deserve, that is what we were heading for.

“We weren’t aware when we went in that the club would then be for sale, but we were made aware before that came out publicly. We didn’t feel that would necessarily jeopardise our future at the club. It is hard to know whether it did or didn't, but since it came out that the club was going to be changing hands, the change of management came soon after that.”

Ashford United owner Don Crosbie, who’s been at Homelands since 2005, announced last week that he’s agreed a deal to sell the club, working towards a completion date of May 31.

“Did I foresee being at Ashford would be a short tenure? Absolutely not,” Watson continued. “If you put what you put into it, you want to develop and build and leave foundations, but it has not worked out that way.

“I am not one of these managers who wants to jump from club to club, any successes I have had in the past I have built over time, that is the reality.

“Some managers do go into a club and can have success in their first season, but there is not enough relative success to be shared out with everyone and you have to measure success in different ways. I am not suggesting that we have had a successful season because I don’t think we have.

“Do I feel that it was so bad that there needed to be the extremities of a change at this stage? Maybe not, but I don’t hold those cards do I? I am a commodity in this.”

Watson did disclose that he felt a little uncomfortable about how and where he was told his job was over but refrained from further details.

“Nothing shocks me,” he said. “If you have been in the game a long time you have a layer of resilience, when these things happen, whilst you don’t necessarily expect it, you are not naive enough it doesn’t happen and I would certainly never think it couldn’t happen to me, nobody is exempt from that.

“If asked if I saw it coming then my answer would be no. Not because I’m deluded in the sense that I felt we were delivering to the level that I or others would expect but because there were certain assurances made at regular intervals.

“For me, football management is merely a hobby. It’s a hobby that I take extremely seriously when in post and which I dedicate a lot of time and effort to but other aspects of my life will certainly keep me occupied.

“Whether I return to football management is somewhat out of my hands but I will no doubt be out watching games over the coming weeks.

“I’m conscious that if vacant managers are spotted at games then it can start unnecessary speculation but I’ll just be there as a spectator, watching players I know or catching up with other managers.

“I think that if you’ve managed, you also always have one eye on prospective players for the future if you get back in the game. If however, I’m found in the boardroom of a club then there may be reason to speculate!

“I wish Alan Walker (the new interim boss) and Darren Hare (his assistant) both well in the remaining games, there is some quality in some of the playing personnel and I wish to thank the players who worked with us well.

“I would like to thank the chairman for the opportunity to manage what I have no doubt will be a successful club in the future.

“Thanks also to my management team of Adam (Flanagan) and Tom (Osborne) for being loyal and supportive, traits which are rare.

Isthmian South East Table as it stood