Sacked Maidstone boss Hakan Hayrettin says he leaves with his head held high.

Hayrettin was dismissed after being called to a meeting at the Gallagher Stadium with co-owner Terry Casey.

The 52-year-old, who succeeded John Still in March 2020, delivered the National South title last season.

But with Maidstone second-bottom of the National League after two wins in 21 games, the club have called time on his reign.

Hayrettin revealed he had met with the prospective new owner and understood he would be staying on. He even gave him a list of player targets.

But he finds himself out of a job, with his final match in charge the 4-1 defeat at York on Saturday.

“It was a short and sharp meeting,” said Hayrettin.

“Terry said it wasn’t good news. I said, ‘Come on, let’s get it over with’.

"I tried my best with what I had.

“Yes, I made a couple of mistakes with signings, but the injuries we had killed me.

“The simple fact is the club doesn’t have the money to compete at this level (without the takeover).

“Working at this level isn’t a hobby, it’s a job.

“I love the club and I had a great working relationship with Terry Casey. He’s been my biggest ally.

“But I never felt I got the public backing when I needed it from anybody at the club.

“That’s football. I wish them all the best and no doubt I’ll be back to haunt them one day. That’s my job.

“No one can ever take away what I achieved at that club. No one.

“I won the league on a relatively low budget compared to five or six other teams last season.

“I had half the budget of Dorking, less than half the budget of Ebbsfleet, half the budget of Havant.

“This year, we were up against teams with double our budget. How can we possibly compete? I never once went over budget in all the time I was there.

“I said staying up would be like the winning the league. That’s the truth. The club lacks leadership and it doesn’t have the money to compete at that level.

“I had a brilliant working relationship with Terry Casey but I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with certain people.

“I’ve had to lose staff this season - three vitally important members of staff - to cut costs.

“It would have been nice to have had the chance to work with the new investor.

“I’d spoken with him and that was the impression I was given. He spoke about a five-year plan.

“I gave him a list of players, good players who wanted to play for me.

“That’s life. That’s football. You move on.

“I leave with wonderful memories that no one can ever take away from me.

“No one can take away that I was the manager that won the club’s first championship in seven years. No one.

“I’ve left my medal hanging up at the club as a memento to all the supporters and staff.

“They deserve that just as much as me. I don’t need it. I’ve got my memories.”

Maidstone made a bright start following promotion, winning three of their first six games.

But a 12-game winless run followed and calls for Hayrettin to go began to gather momentum.

He appeared to have turned the tide with a run of one defeat in six, including wins over Scunthorpe and Maidenhead.

But a six-game losing run sealed his fate, with former skipper George Elokobi placed in caretaker charge.

Hayrettin said: “Every year, people said I should have been sacked. They've got their wish now.

“I know what we achieved and what I was working with this season and the injuries we had to deal with.

“I feel like I’ve been stitched up.

“We delivered what we set out to do, which was to get the club back in the National League.

“That was the fourth title I’ve won as a manager or coach.

“I’ve learned some big lessons. Maybe I was too loyal.

“It’s good to be loyal but it hasn’t paid off for me.

“No one at the club expected me to win the league last season. There you go. That’s football.

“I’ll probably go and visit my mum, who’s in hospital in Cyprus, and I had my own illness to deal with last season.

“I’ll come back and be ready for my next challenge, which I hope will come soon.

“I hope the investment comes quickly and the club can stay up. I wish that for everybody connected to the football club.

"I thought I was going to get the opportunity to compete with the investment but I haven’t been able to.”