Tonbridge Angels announce Jay Saunders' departure at the end of his third season in charge at Longmead Stadium

TONBRIDGE ANGELS manager Jay Saunders says he will be leaving the club at the end of the season after three seasons in charge at Longmead Stadium.

The Angels are currently in eleventh-place in the Vanarama National League South table, having picked up 50 points (13 wins, 11 draws and 13 defeats) from their 37 league games.

Tonbridge Angels are 13 points adrift of the play-offs, with Saunders’ old club, Maidstone United, in seventh-place in the table on 63 points.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tonbridge Angels for the chance I was given to lead this great club,” the former Maidstone United and Margate manager said in a statement.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time here and would like to think I leave the club in a good place to keep progressing.

“Everyone at Tonbridge Angels has made me and my family feel so at home and I couldn’t speak highly enough of the place.

“Working day to day with Sophie (Purves) has been a pleasure and under her leadership, I really believe the club will keep going.

“With plans to take the club forward, I believe whoever is lucky enough to take over from me has a great opportunity.”

Saunders informed chair, Sophie Purves, of his decision to leave the club on Friday, ahead of the Angels’ 1-0 home defeat to Torquay United the following day.

“On behalf of the board and everyone at the club I’d like to thank Jay for all his fantastic efforts since he joined Tonbridge Angels in 2022,” added Purves.

“He has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the past three seasons and he has successfully established our position as a real contender in National League South.

“Each season the team he has assembled has outperformed expectations competing well against full-time clubs with greater resources.

“We will all miss Jay greatly and we wish him the very best for his next chapter in football. 

“Jay and his family will always be welcome here at Tonbridge Angels.”

The part-time club confirmed that they will now start the process of recruiting a new manager for next season and are inviting applications for the role.

Interested parties should contact Sophie Purves by email:  Sophie.purves@tonbridgeangels.co.uk.

Purves added: “The board very much appreciate that Jay has notified us of his decision to leave several weeks before the end of the season.

“This allows the directors to review applications properly and embark on a comprehensive interview process to ensure we secure the right person for the job.

“We want to reassure fans that it’s very much business as usual with nine league games to go and the Semi-Final of the Kent Senior Cup to look forward to.

“We ask fans to please continue to get behind Jay and the team and let’s enjoy a successful end to the season.”

The club have finished in ninth-place and fourteenth-place in the sixth tier under the 46-year-old’s leadership.

Saunders takes his side to sixteenth-placed Chesham United on Tuesday night (19:45).

The Angels, meanwhile,  travel to Ebbsfleet United in their Kent Senior Cup Semi-Final on Tuesday 18 March (19:45), with the winners playing Welling United in the Final at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium on Wednesday 2 April.

Visit Tonbridge Angels website: www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk