ROB Cousins and Michael Meaker will see out their contracts as players with Yate Town this season after being dismissed from their respective manager and assistant manager positions with the Evo-Stik Southern Division One South and West side on Tuesday night.

But the termination of these managerial contracts has lead to some strong words between the parties after the club issued a statement on their website outlining their reasons for ending the managerial contracts.

Cousins said that he and Meaker offered to have their contracts ‘paid up’ two weeks into the new year but their resignation request to chairman Colin Pick was refused.

However, Pick blamed inconsistency for the termination of the management deals while insisting they remain at Yate Town in a playing capacity until the end of the season.

Director of Football Nigel Hawkins is now taking charge of Saturday’s clash with Shortwood United at Lodge Road and will be in control until a new manager is found.

Cousins was ‘not happy’ about the statement from the Yate Town Board of Directors which was posted on the club’s website on Tuesday evening and outlined their reasons for dismissing duo with just ten matches of the season left.

The directors felt that performance, budget and strategy were the main over-riding problems at the club.

On performance, the Board said there had been a ‘recent drop in results and minimal progress over the season’.

The statement added: “We are out of all cup competitions and a play-off place or promotion is looking increasingly unlikely to be achieved for a fourth successive season.

“(The) overall record in the last three-and-a-half years, (shows Yate have) failed to achieve promotion or win a trophy.”

Cousins has spoken about having a ‘tight budget’ to work off within a small squad, but the board reject this, saying: “(The) players budget available this season is in the top quartile within our league and has been throughout their (Cousins and Meaker’s) tenure.

“Management of the players budget has been the direct responsibility of the management team with no interference from the Board.”

Finally, the statement said that the club needed to change things to go forward, and that meant losing the two men.

“The Board’s priority remains promotion to the Premier Division. However to achieve this, we need to change our football philosophy and will be looking to bridge the gap between the club and the Youth Development section to ultimately improve our own player pathway.

“A change in management is required to support our philosophy and Nigel Hawkins (Director of Football) will take on the first team management role on an interim basis until the club find a permanent replacement. The search and selection for a new manager will be via a formal application process.

“The club would like to thank both Rob Cousins and Michael Meaker for all their efforts over the last few years and wish them well for the future. “

Ironically, defender Cousins, 44, who has played for Bath City, Forest Green Rovers and Yeovil Town during his playing career, said hours before he was dismissed that he wanted fans to back the club despite the devastating loss to a thigh injury of key player in goalkeeper Martin Horsell.

But, replying to the statement, Cousins was very unhappy and said: “The relationship with us (Meaker and Cousins) and the chairman was none existent and only got worse.

“Myself and Meaks met with him in early January to build bridges and ask for his help to push on, as we had tried in previous years, but with no joy.

“We were, at the time, in a play-off position but we were banging are heads against a wall.

“We asked for our contract to be paid up (two weeks into January) - not all of it but a good proportion of it - so that it gave the club enough time to get the man he wanted in to do the job.

“But he (Pick) refused, saying we were under contract and to continue, which we did but knowing, in the back of our mind, we were not wanted.

“We are proud of our achievements at Yate, particularly reaching the FA Cup First Round Proper, competing at the top of the table, attendances rising to the two hundred mark for home games. We were working extremely hard trying to get the promotion we and the club wanted, working within the budget set by the chairman.

“The club has potential and some great people.”

Pick replied: “They are on players contracts and the management side is over and above this. They have been relieved of the management contracts but they remain players at this club.

“Until the contracts are cancelled by mutual consent, they are with us until the end of the season.

“They have been inconsistent during the three-and-a-half years with us and we always have a terrible last ten games.

“We had a board meeting on Monday where this decision was taken. Yate Town is Yate Town and all I am doing is what I feel is best.”