Dover chairman Jim Parmenter appears to have cast doubt on the future of manager Mitch Brundle.

Rookie boss Brundle believes he’ll be in charge at Crabble next season after agreeing an 18-month deal to succeed Andy Hessenthaler in January.

But after a poor run, which saw them stay in National League South on goal difference alone, Parmenter was non-committal when questioned on Brundle after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat by Weymouth.

Asked if he would be the manager next season, Parmenter said: “That’s a conversation I’ve got to have with Mitch.”

Speaking of the job Brundle had done, he added: “You have to look at our record, don’t you?

“We went six unbeaten when he came in but now we’ve gone one win in 13 and that’s not good enough, and Mitch knows that as well as I do.

“We’ll have an adult conversation and decide how we’re going to move forward after the emotion’s died down.”

Parmenter denied there had been a mid-season budget cut, saying players who left were due to “strategic decisions by Mitch” and had been replaced.

However, he warned: “It will have to be cut for next season unless we get more sponsors coming forward.”

Whatever the budget next season, it will be competitive enough to set out with play-off ambitions.

That will be the target as Dover look to get a tough couple of years out of their system.

Parmenter said: “Our budget’s not terrible, it’s just not as high as people like Ebbsfleet and so on.

“So we’ve got a reasonable budget.

“The ambition is to try and get towards the play-offs next season but do it in a sustainable fashion, where we can actually afford to pay our wages, pay our bills and not have a financial problem at the end of it.

“It’s our 40th anniversary next year, our 40th season in existence as Dover Athletic, and I’m not about to put the club out of business in our 40th anniversary.”

Whites lost to Weymouth on the final day but survived on goal difference after Dulwich lost to Chippenham.

Parmenter said: “It’s not a successful day - it’s a lucky day.”