WARRINGTON Town soccer club were thrown into turmoil after only five games of the season when manager Steve Jackson walked out on Sunday.

Jackson had been in charge of the club for less than two months after quitting as manager of Bootle at the end of last season despite guiding them to promotion to North Western Trains Division One.

Six players have also quit the club along with Jackson and a seventh, Phil Farrelly, is considering his future.

Former manager Dave Hughes stepped into the breach and put together a young side featuring a number of players from the reserve team for Tuesday's Cheshire Cup clash with Woodley Sport.

Town lost the fixture 2-1 in extra-time but the team put in a battling performance.

Hughes said: "It was obviously a big shock when Steve told us of his decision. The players he brought with him were all coming over from the Liverpool area and some were relying on his car so it's not surprising that they've dropped out too.

"Steve told us he had family commitments he needed to put first so it looks like I'm in the job again. It's a difficult time but the young lads showed excellent commitment on Tuesday so it was a promising start."

The club now lie two off the bottom of the North Western Trains Division Two after being relegated due to problems with the ground at the end of last season.

Jackson was the fifth manager to step down in the last three years and the club has struggled for stability since Derek Brownbill's reign ended in 1995.

Hughes said: "We'll be looking to playing young lads based in Warrington and hopefully they can develop into a strong unit over the season that can get things moving for us."

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