Dave Newton quits - City Alerts Monday 19th Nov

NEWTS QUITS . . . TIM SANDERCOMBE CLARIFICATION

By Mike Truscott

Assistant Manager DAVE NEWTON announced to the players on the coach back from Eastbourne on Saturday that he is retiring from the game with immediate effect.  Player-manager Lee Hodges told City Alerts:  "He's 62 now and the long away trips in particular were just becoming too tiring for him.  He wants to spend more time with his grandchildren.  He loves the players and everyone involved in the club but the journeys have been taking their toll.

"I am absolutely distraught and I know all the boys will feel exactly the same.  He's a very special guy and I'm gutted that he's gone.  Having him as my right hand man was one of the reasons I was glad to take on my job as player-manager.  We worked together brilliantly.

"I have done my best to persuade him to change his mind, but he is adamant that he wants to spend more time with his grandchildren.  He's still working as a football coach in South Devon College in Paignton.  He was going to retire from Truro at the end of the season anyway, but it's all just become a bit too draining for him.  I urged him to at least come to the next home game, against Dover, so that everyone could give him a good send-off, but he won't even be doing that.  That's the sort of guy he is.  You hear him from the touchline all right, but off the field he's much quieter and more reserved.

"He's a terrific guy and a great coach.  He just makes coaching look so easy.  He's been with the club for a number of years, of course, and he was telling me that in one spell as manager he won 33 games out of 36 and got the sack!

"I will be on my own for the time-being, but I am looking to bring someone in to take over in his role.  My problem is that I want and need to play at the moment, but I can't really do that if I've got no-one on the line to take over from me.  Newts' best replacements are already at the club - Jake Ash and Stewart Yetton - but they are still young and playing.  So I will have to bring someone in."

Lee on TIM SANDERCOMBE tweeting that he is "no longer a Truro City player" and is "redundant:"   "I'm disappointed with his tweets.  I did not want Tim to leave;  no-one has forced him to leave the club. I had a chat with him, but it seems he has taken advice from his agent which has led to this situation.

"I had to make it clear to Tim that I am the manager and that there was no way I could agree to what he was demanding.  It was nothing to do with money and I stress that no-one forced him to leave;  I wanted him to stay.  He is still not fit.  He has had problems with his knees and I wanted him to strengthen those legs and be playing for us again, but not on the condition he was demanding."

NO FRESH INJURIES.  Lee takes same 13-man squad to Eastleigh for tomorrow night's League fixture, kick-off 7.45 pm:   Luke McCormick, Calron Hall, Jake Ash, Lee Hodges, Ben Williams, Joe Broad, Marcus Martin, Cody Cooke, Les Afful, Andy Watkins, Kieffer Moore, Bobby Hopkinson, Danny Carne.

LEE'S VIEW on  Eastbourne Borough   1   Truro City   0

"It was another really good performance by the boys.  I felt we were strong right through the match and I really thought we were going to get something from the game;  we certainly deserved to.

"It was a mad moment in the second half, with sloppy defence, that cost us the match.  We just switched off and you can't do that.  It's about marking your man with the mindset that no matter what it takes your man is not going to score.  Overall, though, I thought our work rate and desire to get something from the game were just fantastic;  I couldn't have asked for more in this respect.

"We had a few chances and I'm convinced we should have had a penalty.  Andy Watkins lobbed the keeper, but the keeper took him out and anywhere else on the field it would have been a free-kick.  To give a goal-kick instead was disgraceful."

NEXT FIXTURES (all League):  Tues, Nov 20, away to Eastleigh, 7.45 pm;  Tues, Nov 27, home to Dover Athletic, NB kick-off 7 pm;  Sat, Dec 1, home to Tonbridge Angels, 3 pm;  Sat, Dec 8, away to Boreham Wood, 3 pm;  Sat, Dec 15, home to Maidenhead United, 3 pm;  Sat, Dec 22, away to Salisbury 3 pm;  Wed, Dec 26, home to Dorchester;  Sat, Dec 29, home to Weston-Super-Mare, 3 pm;  Tues, Jan 1, away to Dorchester, 3 pm.Two SUNDAY INDEPENDENT columns from yesterday attached.