BLACKFIELD & Langley have parted company with manager Jon Gittens – just three weeks into the new season.

Blackfield director of football Sam Davies cited a “fundamental disagreement” between him and ex-Saint Gittens about the first team’s style of play as the reason why “it was in the club’s best interests if Jon left.”

But the Daily Echo has learned of the extraordinary circumstances that have led to Gittens’ departure.

Issues involving team selection are understood to have been at the heart of the dispute.

Sources have told the Echo that Gittens had come under increasing pressure from senior club officials to pick certain players in certain positions, much to his disapproval.

Gittens is believed to have been told that his continued presence at Blackfield could jeopardise future plans to invest in the club – so he reluctantly agreed to leave.

The situation is also believed to be the reason behind the departures of a number of Blackfield’s first team squad in the last month.

Former Fareham Town and Team Solent manager Gittens played an instrumental role in steadily and significantly improving the club following his arrival in May 2007.

Back then they were a struggling Wessex One outfit.

But, after guiding Blackfield back into the Wessex Premier in 2009 and a respectable eight-placed finish last year, the Watersiders were looking to continue their progress under Gittens this term.

Despite the seemingly acrimonious way things ended, Davies praised Gittens for the job he had done at Gang Warily.

“Jon is an outstanding manager and has done a fantastic job at Blackfield,” he said.

“The fact that he is no longer here is a source of great personal regret to me.

“When Jon went to Blackfield the club was pretty much bottom of Wessex One. It had no playing staff of any note, no football infrastructure, nothing.

“And Jon has been utterly pivotal in rebuilding the playing side of the club.

“He will be an outstanding manager for another club and I have no doubt we will probably pay the price for letting him go,”

he said.

First-team coach Louie Bell has been placed in temporary charge.

Davies said: “It might be that Louie is doing a great job, but it’s likely that we will advertise the position.”

The Daily Echo contacted Gittens – the second ex-Saint to lose his job in the Wessex Premier this campaign, following Glenn Cockerill’s pre-season departure from Winchester City – but he did not want to comment.