Hutch and Mase sacked by Rolls (From Dorset Echo)

Hutch and Mase sacked by Rolls

9:17am Monday 18th January 2010 in Sport By Ky Capel

DISMISSED: Ian Hutchinson

WEYMOUTH chairman George Rolls has sacked the management duo of Ian Hutchinson and Andy Mason less than a fortnight after offering the pair new deals.

Boss Hutchinson and his assistant Mason were relieved of their duties yesterday afternoon – 24 hours after the Terras suffered a somewhat harsh 4-1 loss at the hands of high-flying Chelmsford City.

And the departure of Hutchinson and Mason comes just 12 days after Rolls was quoted in Echosport as saying: “For me, he (Hutchinson) has picked up enough points to warrant a permanent contract until the end of the season.”

Which is why Mason admits he has been left “perplexed” by the chairman’s sudden decision to remove the fans’ favourites.

Hutchinson politely declined to comment but Mason said: “I just feel disappointed and extremely gutted for Hutch as we’ve done a reasonably good job at the club and I was looking forward to the challenge of trying to keep the team in the league.

“We did as much as we could and I feel a little let down, it’s been a bolt out of the blue.

“Hutch and I put our heart and soul into the job and we’ve been kicked in the teeth, but that’s football sometimes.”

Rolls may have thought the pair deserved new deals but when asked about the proposed contracts being offered, Mason added: “They never materialised. We were told everything would be there for us to sign on Saturday, which is why I’m disappointed with the way it’s all happened.”

Mason believes he and Hutchinson, both former players at the Wessex Stadium, can leave the club with their heads held high.

He said: “We’ve had a lot of games postponed recently and we did manage to pick up points over Christ-mas. We put in a reasonably good performance on Saturday against a good side at the top end of the table, so I’m a bit perplexed by it all to be honest.

“But we can walk away knowing we’ve done our best.”

Hutchinson’s successor will become the Terras’ seventh manager in the last two years.

Rolls was unavailable for comment.

* Chelmsford moved up to third as a result of their win at the Wessex Stadium, but manager Glen Pennyfather recognised the fact that bottom side Weymouth could have snatched something from the game.

“I thought they worked hard all over the pitch and made life difficult for us, especially in the final third,” said Pennyfather.

“They got their break with the deflected goal and on another day we may not have got back in it but we’re playing particularly well at the moment.

“They’ve got their season to carry on, they’re in the bottom two still but hopefully things will turnaround for them and they will get out of the problems they are in.”