JOHN Pyatt has left his post as Brockenhurst’s director of football to become joint manager of ailing Calor Southern Premier Division strugglers Bashley.

Having led Brock back to the Sydenhams Wessex top flight as Division One champions last season, Pyatt stepped upstairs during the summer, making way for former QK Southampton boss Patrick McManus to take over the running of first-team affairs.

Pyatt has always had a good relationship with Bashley and has stepped in to work alongside Paul Gazzard following last weekend’s departure of co-boss Stewart Kearn.

Brockenhurst chairman Peter Lynes said: “I wish John well in his new role.

“He has proved himself to be a first-class manager and motivator of players under him.

“Chances like this don’t come very often and I’m sure he will do well at Bashley.”

Giving his full backing to McManus and his assistant Tony Patten, Lynes added: “Although this is their first season in charge of a team at this level, Pat and Tony have already proved they are more than capable of running a Wessex Premier side.

“The committee know that, in Pat and Tony, we have two people fully committed to the club who are able to build upon last season’s success.” Bashley chairman Mike Cranidge, meanwhile, has insisted the club’s future is secure – despite being forced to halve the playing budget.

The Foresters – currently without a league win and rock-bottom of the division – released a statement declaring that their “modest” playing budget was “unsustainable” and needed to be “recalculated in line with likely income.”

Pyatt said: “We need to evaluate the situation because we know it won't turn overnight.

“We have to take three or four weeks to work out what we can do with the budget available.

“I know an abundance of players at higher levels and have a good knowledge of up-and-coming Wessex players so if we can bring in the right players and get people motivated, then we can still mount a survival challenge.

“There is still a lot of football to be played.

“We are under no illusions, but if we can string a few results together then you can gather momentum pretty quickly.

“Things need freshening up, but I know of two or three players we can get over straight away, so survival is definitely on the agenda.”

Long-serving Gazzard also confirmed that former Cherries favourite John Bailey would continue to coach the first-team and that dialogue was “ongoing” with the playing squad after budget cuts were announced.

Gazzard said none of his players had left yet but that he was expecting “one or two senior players” to leave .