NON-LEAGUE LATEST AS BOSS FIRES BLAST AT CLUB

“If they want a ‘yes man’ then they should get one” OLLY HOTCHKISS

Former Washington AFC manager Olly Hotchkiss has lifted the lid on the circumstances that led to his departure from the Northern League Division Two club.

Hotchkiss left his role as Mechanics boss on Friday night after a meeting with the club’s committee failed to find a resolution to several issues that the 28-year-old believes were hampering his ability to improve on their league performances this season.

These included claims that a team meeting had been secretly recorded by head of football Gary Sykes, he’d been blocked from signing players by chairman Mark Gibbon, and being pressured into picking Gibbon’s son Ben.

“It was a very difficult situation,” explained Hotchkiss. “I am gutted because I love the players and I feel like I have let them down.

“But I have to be honest now, it wasn’t an environment that I want to work in and I felt like I was blocked in everything I did.

“I take full responsibility for the slow start to the season but I feel we would have turned things around.

“I wanted to have trust in my methods but it was clear that they wanted to control their manager.

“If they want a ‘yes man’ then they should get one, but that person isn’t me.”

Hotchkiss claimed he was blocked from signing two players by Gibbon as he looked to rebuild his squad after releagtion and a start to the season which saw them lose their first four league games and bow out of the FA Cup.

He had oversaw a major overhaul of the Mechanics playing squad during the summer but claimed he was also under- mined when asked to hold a meeting with a small number of retained players to discuss his philosophy and playing style with them.

“I didn’t know at the time but that meeting was recorded secretly by Gary Sykes,” Hotchkiss added. “He had a phone hidden under a table and it was recording what was said so they could use it against me and the coaching staff if things didn’t work.”

As for Ben Gibbon, the chairman’s son, Hotchkiss added: “I was told by people before I took the job that I’d have to pick Ben but I didn’t really believe it happened at this level.

“Ben came back from holiday and I selected him to start on the bench for a game.

“Gary Sykes then questioned me and my coaching staff and asked why he hadn’t been selected.”

The club refused to deny Hotchkiss’ claims when contacted by the Echo for a comment. However, they did release a statement saying: “The results speak for themselves – four games lost and a cup defeat. But the players and coaching staff really rose to the challenge on Saturday with a fantastic win which we hope is a turning point in the club’s fortunes.”

Washington beat Heaton Stannington 4-1 on Saturday to claim their first win.