BASEMENT boys Bashley have reluctantly accepted the resignation of manager Steve Riley.

The former AFC Totton boss decided to step down in the wake of Saturday’s defeat 5-1 defeat at Burnham, which made it 15 losses from 15 games in the Southern One South & West with six goals for and 66 against. 

With most players already fixed up elsewhere, Riley took on a near impossible task when he returned to Bashley Road after a three-year absence towards the end of July.

He took over from former Chelsea defender David Stride who had only been in charge for 40 days when Bash cited a “run of poor pre-season results and lack of player signings” as the reason for his dismissal.

In his previous seven-year stint with Bashley, Southampton-based Riley led them to the Southern One South & West title and promotion to the Southern Premier Division.

But he inherited a side that finished rock bottom in 2014/15 and only retained their Southern League status because Sholing and Clevedon dropped out.

Club chairman Tim Allan said: “It’s a great shame that things didn’t work out as expected for Steve. He is a really genuine person who I hold a great deal of respect for.

“I wish Steve all the best for the future.

“He didn’t really want to come back into football, he was happy to have a break from the sport and, coupled with the late start to the season as far as changes with the board and manager, these things didn’t help the cause.

“It's difficult to attract experienced players to a team that has no points on the board. We have many youngsters with talent, but they need help from experienced players to bring them on. Everyone has been putting everything into it but it's just not been working for some reason.

"The board felt it was time to see what could be done before it was too late.

"After talking with Steve on Sunday he offered to stand down in the best interests of the club if the board felt it could help the club. It was a hard decision to accept as Steve has so much experience, his love and passion for the club will be missed."

Paul Morris, who has previously helped Bash in times of trouble, has temporarily stepped up from his coaching role to become caretaker boss, but that arrangement may not last long. 

Bashley already have a successor in mind, but Allan said: “Things have to go through the correct channels. A potential candidate has been discussed and we would hope to have positive news either before or after the weekend.”