Cup exits cut short new manager's reign

New Rainworth Miners Welfare manager Dean Short has left the EVO-STIK League club after a second cup exit in the space of four days.

A 3-0 defeat on Saturday at home to Staveley Miners Welfare in the FA Cup’s Preliminary Round and Tuesday’s night’s 4-2 defeat at Loughborough Dynamo in the Doodson Sport Cup saw Short leave the First Division South club on Wednesday less than three weeks after taking over.

The former Sutton Town manager, pictured, was forced to step up at Kirklington Road on the eve of the new season from his role as assistant manager after the sudden exit of player-boss Scott Rickards two days before the new campaign kicked off.

Wrens officials have described the announcement of the 'mutual decision' to part company as 'heart-breaking'. Secretary Les Lee said Short had found himself thrust into the deep end of a job he had never wanted and had also needed to bring in several lower league players to cover a number of Wrens who followed Rickards out of the club.

Lee says an early announcement on appointing a new manager can be expected and expressed the club’s sorrow that things did not work out for Short.

He said: "The whole committee feels desperately sorry for Dean, and for Dean Mitchell who he brought in as his coach. Dean never intended to take the top job when he joined us and he was dropped into the deep end when Scott decided to go.

"With most of our senior players having left in the meantime, Dean has been unable to attract the players of the right calibre to replace them because his background is in the NCEL and East Midlands Counties League. And several heavy defeats have left us with no choice but to take action before we find ourselves with too much ground to make up on the rest of the division.

"It's been a heartbreaking decision to have to make because we are not a club which gets rid of managers willy-nilly. Dean deserves better and we would like to place on record our profuse thanks for his efforts on our behalf, and wish him every success wherever he goes from here."

Short said: "I came originally as assistant to Scott and when he left I agreed to take on the job to help the club out on a short term basis. At no time did I envisage taking the manager's role, and therefore I am standing down, with the club's agreement, with immediate effect."