Shock as Burgess Hill Town boss 'reluctantly' resigns after less than a month in charge - successor announced

Longhurst was named as Jay Lovett’s replacement on February 20 – but the club announced tonight he has gone.

In a statement they saif: “Due to an unexpected change in Matt Longhurst’s working commitments, resulting in him having to change the location of his work, he has reluctantly resigned from his role as Burgess Hill Town FC first team manager with immediate effect. The club and Matt tried to find a solution that might have worked given Matt’s logistical change in circumstances however, one could not be found that suited Matt or the Football Club, and the club therefore have accepted Matt’s resignation. We wish Matt and his young family well for the future and thank Matt for all he did for the club in his short time as manager.”

His last match in charge was a 4-1 win over Corinthian on Saturday.

The club have moved swiftly to appoint a successor. “We are delighted to announce the appointment of club captain Lewis Taylor as first team manager for the remainder of the season. Lewis has been club captain for the last few seasons and has established himself as a real leader amongst our talented group of players.

“Lewis has already appointed an assistant manager, B-License coach, Dean Sammut, who previously worked with Lewes at academy level and had a playing career with Crystal Palace youth and non-league with Barnet and Sutton.”

A statement from the club’s board on the appointment of Lewis “Having got to know Lewis over the last 4 weeks, we have been massively impressed with his professionalism, passion for Burgess Hill Town Football Club and his desire to progress and succeed. Lewis has strong people management skills and has recruited a talented assistant to the club which will enable Lewis to continue to play a key role for us on and off the pitch. In Lewis, the club has a true leader that has the respect of the players and our wonderful fans, therefore Lewis is the perfect man for the job at hand. We are really looking forward to supporting Lewis and the team in the remaining games of the season”