AFC Telford should still respect Liam Watson

But there were also plenty of highlights and some new ground trodden during the former Southport boss's 19-month spell at the New Bucks Head,

And when the dust has settled following Saturday's sacking, his time in charge should be remembered with some fondness despite it's disappointing conclusion.

When Watson arrived in Shropshire at the start of May 2013, he inherited a team that had slumped to the reformed club's first-ever relegation.

It had not been by a narrow margin either as a badly mis-firing side had strung together a woeful 30-match winless run on their way to a bottom-placed finish in the Conference Premier.

They eventually finished 19 points adrift of safety, having had four different people at the managerial helm in a tumultuous season.

Permanent boss Andy Sinton, who had kept the team in the non-League's top flight the season before, departed by mutual consent after a 16-match winless run in January 2013.

Mark Cooper was then swiftly appointed interim manager but he left after 30 days to become assistant manager at Swindon Town.

Sinton's No.2 Graham Hyde was then promoted to caretaker boss but lasted just two games before standing down. Neither were able to snap the Bucks' mounting winless streak.

They finished the season with first team coach John Psaras in charge, and while he was at least able to halt that run he could not prevent the team tumbling out of the division.

By the time Watson arrived he faced major re-building job to sweep away the wreckage of the previous campaign.

And re-build he did, keeping just two players from the previous season's squad in club legend and record appearance holding goalkeeper Ryan Young and defender Dan Preston.

A wave of new signings flooded into the New Bucks Head in the ensuing weeks.

And it was a virtually unrecognisable team that took to the field on August 17, 2013, as the Bucks kicked off their Conference North 2013/14 campaign with a 2-1 win over Workington.

Watson had already captured his first piece of silverware by this time, having guided his new-look team to the Shropshire Senior Cup in pre-season with wins over Shawbury United and Market Drayton.

It would not be the last trophy Watson would capture either, as he guided the Bucks to the Conference North title – the third of his managerial career – finishing three points clear of North Ferriby United.

The Bucks had been installed as one of the big promotion favourites by the bookies in pre-season.

It was not all plain sailing though, but a superb run in December and January under-lined the team's promotion credentials as they went six games without defeat.

A 1-0 defeat to Barrow on January 18 snapped that run but Watson's side then put together a season-defining 11-game unbeaten run. A 6-1 drubbing by Guiseley at the start of April did not derail the promotion campaign and they entered the final day of the season knowing victory at home to Gainsborough would secure a first league title in the new club's history.

And they duly delivered with a 3-0 win in front of almost 4,000 supporters, sparking memorable celebrations at the final whistle.

Following that triumph Watson did not rest on his laurels, and he quickly set about re-shaping the team once more over the summer to prepare for life in the non-league's top flight again.

Watson deliberately targeted younger signings, in a bid to bring in fresh legs that he felt would be better equipped for the faster pace of the predominantly full-time Conference Premier.

The Bucks chief has also expressed concerns about his defence, which had shipped a surprising 53 goals on their way to the title.

Unfortunately his fears proved well founded as his re-jigged side shipped goals at an alarming rate as they began the campaign with an 11-match winless run.

Victory over Torquay at home, in a 4-3 thriller on September 27 hinted at a possible revival.

But it proved a false dawn as only two further league wins were managed in the following 12 games - against Woking and Altrincham.

The arrivals of defensive reinforcements in defenders Ryan Higgins and Andy Parry, the latter on loan from Luton, as well as goalkeeper Freddy Hall had brought temporary improvements in the Bucks' rearguard.

But the defeats kept mounting up, and a run of three straight losses against Chester, Bristol City (FA Cup) and Welling earlier this month proved decisive.