No new job and no falling out - Agutter on why he's leaving Hastings United

Chris Agutter insists he needs a fresh challenge – but does not yet know where or what it will be.
Chris Agutter, pictured with Ben Cornelius, says he doesn't yet know what his next challenge will be / Picture: Scott WhiteChris Agutter, pictured with Ben Cornelius, says he doesn't yet know what his next challenge will be / Picture: Scott White
Chris Agutter, pictured with Ben Cornelius, says he doesn't yet know what his next challenge will be / Picture: Scott White

The departing Pilot Field boss phoned the Hastings Observer shortly after his resignation was announced to thank the fans and the club for their backing during his time there.

He told us there was no new job already in place, nor any falling-out with anyone, that had caused him to leave.

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And he said United would be wise to appoint his successor from within to help keep the continuity and dressing room spirit that was so strong at the Pilot Field.

Agutter - who resigned on Monday and thanked everyone for their support while at he club - told us: “I’ve had five years in a job I’ve loved, working with the first team and across the age groups.

“But it’s got to the point where I need a new challenge, a fresh start. It’s all amicable and when I look back at the backing I’ve had at Hastings, I wouldn’t change a thing.

“Now I want to test myself in a different environment.”

Hear what Hastings chief Billy Wood has to say about who will take over from Agutter - in Friday's Hastings Observer

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Agutter said the players were disappointed when he told them he was off. He described them as a ‘fantastic’ group and said that while the decision on who to replace him was nothing to do with him, the club could do a lot worse than appoint someone who was already in the dressing room.

Agutter admitted the club being denied promotion when the 2019-20 season was cut short by the pandemic was a frustration, but said it probably only amounted to about five per cent of his decision to move on.

“I feel my record speaks for itself. Decisions outside our control cost us promotion but that’s in the past,” he said. “It goes without saying that I wish everyone at the club all the best for the future. That goes for the staff, the players, the volunteers and the fantastic fans. With the people that are at the club, they will continue on the right path.”