DORCHESTER Town first-team coach Stuart Heath has stepped down from his role at the club with immediate effect.

Heath announced his decision to interim manager Trevor Senior, the players and backroom staff after the 1-0 FA Cup defeat to AFC Portchester on Saturday.

Speaking to Echosport, Heath felt his decision was centred on taking “personal responsibility” and spending more time with his family.

He said: “I was there for five years and it was a very hard decision to make because I’ve got the utmost respect for everyone there.

“I loved my time there, I’ve made some friends there that will stay close to me for many years to come. In that regard it was a very tough decision to make.

“In other ways it was a straightforward one because it’s been a few months of frustration and underachievement. I thought it was the right thing to do to take some personal responsibility for that,” he said.

“Ultimately I’ve not been in charge of selection or recruitment but I’m in charge of the preparation of the team. I felt it was right after such a poor result to step back and let some new voices and new people come in on the coaching side.

“I’ve got a young family that I’d like to spend time with. A full-time job and a part-time job at Dorchester didn’t give me the time to do that,” he added.

And Heath admitted that recent results “haven’t been good enough”, stressing that a “winning culture” needs to be fostered at the club.

He said: “The results just haven’t been good enough. The player turnover has just been too high and it’s not allowed us to get any momentum and continuity.

“It’s been frustrating for the supporters. They deserve better and my one wish is that they get better results and a winning culture spreads through the club. It needs to come from fresh voices.”

Heath also revealed that he had no issues with the timing of his announcement Saturday’s shock loss, before lending his backing to Senior.

“Something has got to give. The coaching aspect of a club is crucial and I’ve been in charge of that. At some stage you’ve got to be honest with yourself and take responsibility.

“Frankly, it was a pretty disastrous result. I didn’t think there was any point in mulling over the decision.

“Trevor’s been great. I’ve enjoyed working with him in the short period of time I have. I think he should be given a real crack at it,” he said.

Looking ahead, Heath feels the key to success for the club is to maintain a “settled squad”.

He said: “I think the quality of players that left in recent years was just too high. It’s got to the stage where we just can’t afford to let those players leave and to flourish elsewhere.

“The players have the challenge to turn things around. The supporters have stayed pretty loyal though a period of underachievement. I think they need to be rewarded now with a team that does well on the pitch.

“I really hope that they do get better in the immediate short term and then going forward with a more settled squad that the fans can relate to over time.”

Upon leaving, Heath had a heartfelt message for everyone connected to the Magpies and praised the outfit as being “the friendliest club I’ve encountered”.

He said: “I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They gave me the best five years as a player and coach.

“It’s been a privilege to be part of the club. It’s a very proud club and certainly the friendliest club I’ve encountered.”