Life in the dugout at Folkestone Invicta Football Club will never be the same after manager Neil Cugley announced he would be stepping down.

In his 26th season in charge of the Kent coast club, Cugley has made the decision that has rocked the Non League across the county.

He’s issued the following statement:

“As people may have heard this is to be my final season as Manager of Folkestone Invicta Football Club (FIFC) and following discussions on Monday afternoon with Micheal Everitt and Roland Edge I am pleased to say they have agreed to accept the responsibilities of running the first team from this weekend till the end of the season. I hope that everyone will support them as they have been loyal employees at our club for a long time and deserve all of our support.”

“As we all know the circumstances have changed during the latter couple of weeks and I have been involved with supporting the remaining members of the Board in trying to get the investment required to maintain and meet the financial shortfall we now need. Due to this I feel that with the meetings and numerous phone calls it is difficult to concentrate on all aspects of the club and being honest this may have reflected on the players and disappointing results. Due to the current shortfall I have agreed to forgo any wages for the rest of this season to assist the club’s financial position.”

“The Club now has 24 youth teams which include 5 girls teams and an academy of 25 full time students and there are major changes required in the near future to support this growth including accommodation and appropriate football training areas and pitches. The club is currently debt free and I personally think it would be great for the Club to have a consortium of people putting a realistic amount of money into FIFC that will also attract future directors to the Board.”

“I have always had good, loyal and friendly staff/players/Directors/Chairman’s around me and that has made my years at FIFC so enjoyable. I also thank the supporters past and present, through the good times and bad for their loyal support.”

At 65, it will be interesting to see if this is the end of Cugley’s road in Kent football, but one thing is certain, there will hardly ever be a more loyal man than he.