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Axed manager Kevin Hake believes he has left Sheppey United in a great position.
Hake was shown the door after the 1-0 win over Oprington on Saturday with the club’s board insisting Sheppey had “not made the progress that any of us had hoped for this season.”
Hake’s side were promoted last year and sat fifth in the Kent Invicta League after the weekend.
He said: “It was a little over 18 months ago I was given the task to get the club from the bottom of the Kent County to the Kent League in 10 years.
“With the promotion we achieved at the first attempt, coupled with us being on course – with our remaining games – for a top-three finish in our debut season at this level, I feel as though we were on course for that and beyond.
“I leave the club in a better position than I started and solid foundations have been laid for this club to carry on succeeding.”
Hake was happy to let his record do the talking and wished the club well. An announcement on his future, elsewhere in Kent football, is set to be made in the
coming days.
He said: “Gone are the days when Sheppey United sat in the wilderness for over a generation and I am proud with what we achieved.
“I genuinely wish the club great success in the future and with all the great memories I have, I will always hold the club close to my heart. The club have all the ability to be a Ryman-level club and beyond, and it is an exciting time for the Island.
“Sadly, I was not the chosen one to take the club to the next level. However, I genuinely do wish the new management team of Geoff Record and Barry Morgan all the best in continuing to bring success to the club that the supporters and the Island so richly deserve.
Ten of Sheppey's players left the club in the wake of Hake's departure and they lost 3-1 to Sutton Athletic on Tuesday night.
Read more reaction and the views of caretaker Sheppey boss Barry Morgan in this week's Times Guardian newspaper.