The following is an official statement from Albion Chairman Mark Harris :

 I regret to announce that the club has today parted company with manager Nigel Deeley and his assistant Andy Nelson.

Relieving Nigel and Andy of their duties was a painful decision as both have worked tirelessly to build a team after losing so many players during the summer. When Nigel was appointed, we fully expected to retain the nucleus of the previous squad; it was no fault of Nigel’s that we did not.

Nigel has worked with one of the lower wage bills in the division and has brought some exciting young players to the fore. However football, as we all know, is a results business; despite a promising start, results since the beginning of September have been poor.

After nine consecutive league defeats, coupled with defeat in the 1st round of the FA Trophy, the board unanimously decided that, regrettably, we could not allow the management team any more time to turn things around.

Although our league position is not good, there are plenty of points still to play for, and this also contributed to the decision to make a change now, with key games against Ossett and Worksop just around the corner. It is up to the players - who must share some of the responsibility for Nigel & Andy’s departure – to grind out much-needed results and demonstrate that they each have a future at Witton Albion.

There are financial considerations too. Not staying in the FA Trophy for at least another round was a big blow, however the alarming fall in attendances is of greater concern. We attracted just over 200 spectators against Eastwood, of which our visitors contributed 30. To only have 200 Wittoners come through the turnstile is potentially disastrous, especially at a time where we are negotiating to bring in new resources at board level that will enable us to maintain the status quo.

A new management team will be in place by tomorrow with the sole brief of keeping Witton Albion in the premier division of the UniBond League. The playing budget will be exactly that which Nigel had at his disposal.

I would just like to thank Nigel and Andy for their effort and commitment. Nigel in particular has been brilliant to work with, and the fact that he is a true Wittoner has not made this decision any easier. He and Andy will always be welcome at Witton, and I wish them a quick and successful return to the game.

Finally, I want to thank our brilliant supporters for their patience. We have to get a buzz going around Wincham Park again, and whilst this will ultimately be brought about by results, in the meantime we have to keep each other’s spirits up and work even harder as a unit.

An announcement about the new management team will be made tomorrow morning (3rd).

I will be online from now until 7pm to answer any direct questions, and will be back online for a while after 9pm to pick up any others. AS ever, I can't guarantee you'll like - or agree - my answers, but they will be honest ones.