Sittingbourne FC have announced that manager Ryan Maxwell has left the club, just days after their play-offs charge came to an end.

Maxwell came into the club and took Sittingbourne from relegation candidates to promotion contenders within a season. It was quite the turn around for the Brickies and their fans will be gutted that Maxwell has left the club following their play-off defeat to Three Bridges on Tuesday evening.

It was the first ever appearance for Sittingbourne in a play-offs, and he cemented a place for himself in Brickies folklore.

A statement from the club said: “Sittingbourne FC can regrettably confirm that First Team Manager Ryan Maxwell has left the club.

“With the team rooted in the relegation zone last season when Ryan and his team took over, we went on to stay up and to break several club records on the way.

“An amazingly successful campaign this season which saw us unfortunately just miss out on reaching the play-off final.

“Ryan has been up front and honest with the club and has given his all for us since the day he arrived and advised us last night that his departure was purely based on a family and location decision, with it being the hardest decision of his career to leave the club.

“The club did all that we possibly could to keep Ryan and his team but we fully understand his reasons, especially with his young family in situ.

“We would like to thank Ryan for all his hard work and appreciate everything he has done in his time at the club.”

The club are now getting underway to find a replacement for Maxwell ahead of the 2024/25 season getting underway.