Greg Clowes quits in fresh Market Drayton Town shock

He told chairman Bob Mellor of his intention to go before Saturday's last game of the season at Carlton Town and then informed his players after their 4-0 defeat.

"I just can't commit to the degree this club needs," said Clowes, following Dave Richards, who quit after eight days, Lee Ebden, gone after five games because he applied for another job, and former manager Simon Line.

Clowes said. "I've done what was asked of me when I came here in November – we have avoided relegation.

"But securing the future demands much, much, more and recent results have convinced me it's time for me to acknowledge that."

"I've been here six months. Drayton's survival in the Evo-Stik League South was achieved over the first four.

"I thought at that point we could push on and build together, but that's not been the case.

"The final two months of the season have been poor, no, terrible.

"I wish the club well and all the best for the future."

Clowes, a businessman away from the game, says he does not have another football job in prospect.

Like his three predecessors, he discovered it difficult, if not impossible, to get together enough players of the required quality to build a team at the level Drayton contest on their well publicised 'very tight' budget.

Almost 50 players have been signed and trialed during the season – far removed from the stability Clowes built in successful spells as manager of Alsager, Newcastle Town and Stafford Rangers, from where he joined Town after a disastrous start to the season.

He declines to comment on Drayton's budget issues, saying only: "I knew the budget when I came here with Dozz (Dorian Garner, his long-time assistant)."

Drayton were bottom of the division in those days, but with sheer hard work, a few tweaks and favours called in here and there, Clowes and Garner engineered a surge to the safety of lower mid-table.

But after a memorable early March win at Belper, then riding high in the league title race the wheels came off.

Drayton have picked up just one point since, finishing the season with seven straight defeats, the latest being at Carlton.

Ironically, it was a pretty unfair swansong. Although without several leading players and hit further when top scoring Yannick Makota went off after 20 minutes, Town performed well in the first half and were still in the hunt after an hour, despite conceding a goal on 38 minutes to Anton Robinson.

But Robinson's second strike, on 65 minutes, really hurt, and they were hanging on from then on. James Askey unluckily diverted the ball into his own net soon after and Sammy MacVicar added a cruel fourth on 90 minutes.

The club's committee will consider Clowes' resignation at an emergency meeting on Monday evening, after which they will issue a statement.

Garner's position is unclear, though he has not formally resigned and it's understood he could be willing to stay on, for a while at least, to help out.