Sittingbourne are looking for a new manager following Ryan Maxwell’s shock decision to leave the Club over the weekend. 

In his first interview since his decision, the popular Irishman has been explaining his decision to the Clubs website which came just days after he led the Brickies to the Isthmian League Play Offs for the very first time.

“It was the toughest decision that I’ve ever made in football as a player or a manager,” the Irishman admitted.

“I absolutely fell in love with the club from day one and it has been a journey and a half from one end of the pitch to the other with all the trials and tribulations in between. They are memories and I hope friends too that will last a lifetime, and I’m sure that I will have friends at the Club for life!” 

Maxwell then explained the reasons for his departure saying, “The travelling was becoming the problem with a young family, but then when you add onto that the road closures that I faced on the way home which really did affect me in the evenings getting back as sometimes it was one thirty in the morning or later from some away games and it was becoming a real strain with more and more stress.

“Sadly, it became too constant and too regular, and I have a young family who I absolutely adore, and I pride myself in being a good dad. I did not think that I was being so as I was having to leave early and would not see my daughter, I would get home extremely late and would not see her, and time with little ones is absolutely priceless.” 

“So, it was a decision made off the back of that that I needed to spend more time with them. It was purely down to that, if it wasn’t I would have never looked to be leaving Sittingbourne as I absolutely love the Club, it is a tremendous Club, and I will always be a part of it and be a part of the Brickies.

“I understand the Club, I understand the people behind the Club, the fans who I have a real connection with, and I am going to miss them all dearly!” 

Reflecting on his sixteen months in charge at The Roman Stadium, Maxwell said, “I wanted to transform it, leave my mark and to get people talking about Sittingbourne, to make them a force and to see if we could revive the historical big crowds that they had back in the day.

“I wanted to make sure that if I were ever to leave, it would be in a much better place than I found it on the pitch and off the pitch structurally in any way that I could. Andrew (Marjeram) is a young chairman who will make mistakes, but it will not be because of he’s not trying, he will be overly trying.

“Sometimes we all do that, but the effort and the desire for the Club to be successful is second to none and I wanted to help with that, I could see that when I met him and when I signed for the Club.” 

“The Clubs fans are amazing they are just so honest, aren’t they?” Maxwell continued.

“It all comes from a good pure place, and I hope that they saw that in me. I always had time for them to speak to them about how things were going and how much I always appreciated their support from day dot, which incredibly grew, and grew and grew we had over eight hundred people at the Roman Stadium for our play-off game last week.

“I want to say to them “please, please, please keep going and supporting the Club support the main man behind it, the men and women behind it, the volunteers everyone behind it as it is what makes the Club so special. The Away support is something else so reliable no matter where we were, and the effort it takes to do that is incredible; a massive, massive thank you to them, I will never be able to thank them enough!” 

“You know, I think looking over at the Semi Final and just seeing the fans there was the high point of my time at the Club,” Maxwell confessed and then explained.

“In my first game, there was 126 people watching the game against Whitehawk, on Tuesday there was 809! That proves beyond doubt for me that the support is there, but they need something to support. I do get that it works both ways and people will always support something that is doing well, but looking at the fans the other night, and their energy that is a massive high point for me to see that 126 turn into Tuesday must be the high point, it has to be!” 

What next for Ryan Maxwell? “More time with my family without a doubt and football wise, I am going to be taking over at Bishops Stortford, which is near to where I live just down the road and have done for a few years. I would love nothing more than a pre-season game with the Brickies.”