I've taken Sittingbourne as far as I possibly could, says Matt Wyatt

Wyatt, 42, has previously stated that the Brickies are punching above their weight, especially as they sit in fourth-place in the Ryman League Division One South table with one of the smallest budgets in the division.

The Brickies have won eight, drawn two and lost four times in the league this season, sitting ten points behind unbeaten league leaders Burgess Hill Town.

Wyatt actually told club officials that he resigned on Sunday 28 September, but agreed to take charge of the games against Whitstable Town (3-0); Walton & Hersham (2-1) and tonight’s home League Cup tie against Faversham Town, which they lost 1-0 thanks to Sam Bewick’s fifth-minute winner.

Wyatt said: “I leave at a very sad time.  I resigned the other Sunday. It’s very sad.

“The reasons behind it is that I felt myself and the committee have always had quite a good understanding and we’ve had an honest chat over a couple of weeks.

“I’m an ambitious guy. I’ve had views with the chairman and the club secretary and they’re a little bit different. I’m not saying I’m right or they’re right.

“My views and where I wanted to take Sittingbourne in the right direction were different points of view from different people.

“I felt that I took the club as far as I possibly could and we were looking to go forward and I just felt we couldn’t make that.”

Wyatt’s decision to quit comes as a surprise with Sittingbourne sitting so high up in the league table.

“Yes, I think we’re currently fourth, joint-second with Faversham and joint-third with Whyteleafe on 26 points,” said Wyatt.

“I think we’ve all got our views on where we want to take the club.  Some of it is that they needed more help with the club because John and Peter Pitts do a hell of a lot for the club and John couldn’t do no more.

“When I had a fall out with the vice-chairman three weeks’ ago and he resigned, I think that the club realised, the committee realised the work that certain individual does was they couldn’t really do without.

“Some of my faults are that I’m probably a little bit opinionated on things and I was maybe a loose cannon at some stage.

“I’ve got some lovely compliments from John (Pitts) and (chairman) Maurice (Dunk) and ‘football wise I should be much higher and you’ve done a brilliant job’, so it’s very hard to take as well.”

When asked about his future plans, Wyatt, who took his job seriously and went out watching lower league games to find uncut gems, admitted he’s only looking for a club that matches his own ambitions.

“My plans for the future will be I’ve got a couple of clubs who want to talk to me, just go and see what’s about,” said Wyatt.

“I’m not rushing into anything.  I’ll take a couple of weeks out, maybe watch a couple of games and go into it in a month or so.

“My track record speaks for itself.  It has to be the right club to take me for what I am.  I may be opinionated but as a football manager I think that people ask you questions and you have to give the honest answers and I’ve always tried to do that.

“I’ve given my all for Sittingbourne Football Club.

“All the players’ that we’ve lost and for us to be second in the league – I’m not bigging myself up – we could have been one of the surprise packages in all what’s gone on in the last two and a half months or so.

“No-one expected Sittingbourne to be fourth in the league and joint second on points.

“The four games that we’ve lost in the league, in fairness, we’ve only lost by the odd goal in three of them and our largest defeat was 3-1 at Hastings.

“I leave Sittingbourne fourth in the league, joint-second, with the best away record in the league, in the top ten disciplinary.

“Discipline was turned around incredibly from last season.  People may say that I’m a bit lively in the dug-out but that’s me!

“I have only been sent-off once this year and once last year and the discipline that I’ve tried to get through to the players since I’ve been joint-manager or manager of Sittingbourne, I’ve not had a player sent-off in a league game.

“Hopefully people will look at that.

“It’s got to be at the right club this time and I’m not going to rush into it.

“I’m not going to take a club just to get back into it.  If it takes five or six months, a season, however long it takes, it just has to be the right club with the right ambitions, who have got the same ambitions as myself.”

The club issued a brief statement on their club website on Tuesday night.

“Sittingbourne’s manager Matt Wyatt has resigned his position.

“The club wishes him and (wife) Karon well in the future.

“Barry Crimmen is to take over as caretaker manager with Warren Chambers taking the post of assistant manager.”

Visit Sittingbourne’s website: www.sittingbournefc.co.uk