By Matthew Panting

Chatham chairman Jeff Talbot will wait to find out what league his club will be playing in next season before naming a new manager.

Paul Foley quit as Chatham boss last Thursday after an alarming drop in form saw them go 12 games without a win and fall into the Ryman League Division 1 South relegation places.

Despite beating Walton Casuals on Saturday, Chatham look certain to finish in the bottom two and await news about whether they will drop into the Safety Net Kent League or earn a reprieve due to reorganisation elsewhere in the non-league pyramid.

"We’ve got to wait and see what league we are in – it could be one of three at the moment," said Mr Talbot, pictured. "If we are still in the Ryman League then the likelihood is that it will be Division 1 North.

"In your mind you say you need to know which league you are in but you also say that if the right person walks through then you would appoint him. We thought we had the right person last summer.

"We’ve got to wait and see where we go but all of our sponsorship and finance is in place for next season already so that’s good news for the club."

Chatham’s destiny is unlikely to be decided until mid-May and Mr Talbot insisted that an expected reprieve is not necessarily set in stone.

"It’s a strong view (that we will stay up) but I’ve dealt with the Ryman League and the FA for the last three seasons so nothing surprises me. I’ll wait until I see it in writing."