My sacking has come as a bit of a shock, admits Lee Richmond

LEE RICHMOND says he feels shocked after learning that he was sacked by Fleet Leisure this afternoon.

Manager Richmond, 51, guided the club out of the Haart of Kent County League in his first season in charge of the club.

They finished in the top-four after spoiling Metrogas’s title-winning party with a 2-1 win that gave Hildenborough Athletic the Premier Division title on 18 May 2013.

Fleet Leisure were granted promotion to the Kent Invicta League because they had the necessary ground criteria in place, thanks to their groundshare deal at  Rochester United’s Rede Court Road ground.

Richmond guided the club to their highest ever finish in their history, finishing in fourth-place in their inaugural Kent Invicta League campaign, having collected  52 points from 28 games.

The club ended their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to third-placed Sutton Athletic in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy Final at Thamesmead Town’s Bayliss Avenue ground on Saturday.

It proved to be Richmond’s last game in charge of the club after he was sacked during a telephone call with the chairman.

Richmond said in a statement: “I received a phone call from the chairman this afternoon telling me they had two committee meetings and decided they did not want me to carry on next season.

“The reasons being ‘I’m too single minded and don’t get on with the chairman and self-driven.’

“I had just got over Saturday’s Cup loss and was planning for next season so it has come as a bit of a shock.

“I’d like to thank the players for their effort over two seasons, for Rochester United for this hospitality and my management team for their hard work.”

The manager’s son, Colin, 23, who missed the cup final through suspension, is set to leave the club with Ryman League clubs interested in snapping up the highly-rated midfield playmaker, who has previously played for Sittingbourne and Maidstone United and was a loss to the side at the weekend.