KEVIN Powell asked fans dismayed by King's departure to stay patient with the board – and argued that directors had made a similarly controversial decision when they appointed King five years ago.
Looking back to the summer of 2003, Powell said, "Jimmy Quinn was the manager back then. when Jimmy went he also went at the end of a season when we'd actually got promotion. A lot of people complained that we were letting him go. The board took the
view that it was the right time to move on. We then interviewed a huge number of candidates and Steve King was obviously involved in the interview process. The board knew he had no knowledge at all of managing – no experience whatsoever. But we felt he was the right move at that time.
"Again there were a lot of comments made about how the board didn't know what it was doing.
"I think all these points are important because we're back in that same situation."
Elliott apologised to Lewes fans for the bad timing of King's imminent exit from the Dripping Pan, which put a severe dampener on Saturday's championship trophy-lifting celebrations. But he insisted the club had done nothing to allow the news to surface.
"It was not our intention at all that the information or rumours got out when they did, which led to a very embarrassing situation on Saturday between the club, the officials of the league and the sponsors,' he said.
"We had a situation that was deeply regrettable. I don't think anybody particularly enjoyed it, whether you're a supporter wondering what on earth was going on, or the board, who certainly didn't enjoy it.
"It was a very unpleasant situation. And it was not one that we instigated. We wanted to get to the end of the season and acknowledge it for what it was which was a real landmark in the history of the club."
The full article contains 328 words and appears in Sussex Express Series newspaper.
