I just think we've fallen a little bit short, admits relegated Rochester United joint-manager Darren Anslow

ROCHESTER UNITED joint-manager Darren Anslow says his future remains unclear after the club suffered relegation.

The Spartans’ have suffered a miserable campaign and finished their Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division campaign at the foot of the table with three wins and seven draws from their 35 league outings, with a home game against third-placed Crowborough Athletic to come on Saturday.

Anslow’s side went down to a 4-0 home defeat to promoted side Whitstable Town last night.  Scott Porter has guided the Oystermen back in to the Bostik League after a two year absence, while Rochester United have lost their status after six seasons in the top-flight.

Matt Hume was in charge for the first eight games, drawing three and losing five, before the club turned to Ian Varley, who won only one of his nine games in charge, losing eight.

Rochester United were second-from-bottom in the table with only five points from 13 games, eight points adrift of safety when Anslow and Paul Gross took joint charge but the pair failed to keep the club in the division.

The club went through 73 players this season and Anslow admits the club need to rebuild in the First Division.

“It’s about this club getting the season over and done with, assessing where we are, where it is, whatever they want to do and rebuilding, which is easy to say, but it has to be done,” said Anslow.

“It needs, whoever it is, with a good pre-season with their players and it will make a difference.

“I think this year it’s very fair to say it’s hard, we've had three or four  managers.  You can’t get any continuity with the players.

“When me and Paul came in, I’m not making any excuses, we had the bad weather and we couldn’t train, we couldn’t get a facility to train and those things make a difference and the quality of players we could bring in.

“I think tables don’t lie.  If you look at Sevenoaks, Whitstable and Crowborough, arguably they have the best players in the league but it doesn’t mean you can’t try and compete.  There are plenty of teams in this league that are competing.  I just think we’ve fallen a little bit short in that respect.”

When asked whether he will stay with the club in a lower level of football, Anslow replied: “I don’t know what the club want to do, that’s their decision.  I think they respect the fact that they’ve managed to field a side. It’s been very difficult when you’re in our position to kind of russell up 11-13 players.  It’s been difficult so respect to the boys who have turned up every week.”

But Anslow criticised the players who lacked fight during their stay at Rede Court Road.

“We haven’t played the same team for two games running.  Players were making excuses.  There’s no excuse. We had time to get out of it but again it’s difficult when you ain’t got a lot and players make excuses sometimes about why they can’t be here and you’re scratching around but that’s where we are and it’s down to us to try to sort it out.”

Rochester United  v  Crowborough Athletic
Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Saturday 28 April 2018
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Rede Court Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent ME2 3TU