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Sharpe: Not even Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho could have saved Ossett Town last season
Ossett Town ground
OUTGOING Ossett Town manager Phil Sharpe believes not even Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho could have saved Town from relegation last season.
Sharpe and Town parted company by mutual agreement last week, with Eric Gilchrist remaining in charge initially until the end of the season.
He could do nothing to stop the club dropping out of the Evo-Stik Premier Division last season but was matching pre-season targets in Division 1 North this term - with the added bonus of a prolonged FA Trophy run.
And he insists nobody - not even the 'Special One' - could have saved Town last season.
“We were well positioned when I left and were minutes away from an FA Trophy tie at York City,” he said.
“We got relegated last season but not even Jose Mourinho could have kept that team up.
“The target for this season was to consolidate and we were more than doing that but still it’s not enough for some people.
“There are some good people on the board with some good ideas but there are still issues there that need to be addressed if the club is to move forward.”
The former Frickley Athletic and Harrogate Railway Athletic manager insists he leaves with “no axe to grind” but regrets not going through with his decision to hand in his resignation back in November.
“I just wasn’t enjoying going into work anymore,” he said.
“I actually handed my resignation in to the committee in November, when Simon [Turfrey] was still there, but decided to stick it out.
“Sometimes you just feel like the time is right to leave and after being at the club for nearly two years I decided the time was right for me.
“The only regret I have from those two years was not leaving back in November.”
Sharpe says he’s now going to take a break from the game and spend more time with his family and working with his business.
He’s been involved as a player, manager or coach since the age of 16 and has only taken less than six months out during that time.
He hasn’t ruled out a return to football in the future, however, and insists Town are in good hands with Gilchrist at the helm.
“Myself and Eric shared out input into the team anyway,” said Sharpe.
“He’s very experienced and I don’t think there will be huge changes there, possibly one or two new faces will come in but there will be nothing drastic.”
Town's game at Curzon Ashton today has been postponed due to a frozen pitch.
See this week's Wakefield Express for all the latest sports news from around the district.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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Wind direction: North east
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