PETER Ward has become Witton Albion's fifth manager in two years following Kevin Tully's shock resignation.

Tully stood down on Friday night claiming Witton's board had made it impossible for him to do his job.

But chairman Tom Shaw said Tully was unable to manage Albion under the tight financial restrictions the club is currently under.

"When we took over we had discussions about our fiscal policy," said Mr Shaw. "Part of that fiscal policy was that we laid down a budget under which the football club had to be managed.

"During the discussions Kevin had with the new board, he said he thought the budget was very fair and he could operate within it.

"What he tried to do in the week before the season started was duck and weave around that budget in a way that was unworkable."

Mr Shaw added that the club's Director of Football, John Bond, had sat down with Tully on more than one occasion to explain why the club's purse-strings were tied.

"When it was laid down to him that that was how it had to remain, he resigned."

Tully admits to trying to sign a player with his own money but accuses Mr Shaw and his board of a failure to communicate.

He says he was not given a key to Witton's premises and his mail was opened, claims dismissed by Mr Shaw as "trivial nonsense".

Tully also claimed the new regime wanted him out as soon as it took over.

"The real problem is that Tom Shaw did not want me there in the first place and he should have had the courtesy to stop wasting my time and the time of the players and the supporters," he said.

But Mr Shaw said that if that was the case, Tully wouldn't have been allowed to stay on as manager in the first place.

"The board sat down and decided he should be taken on as manager with Peter Ward as his assistant. There's never been any suggestion that he should resign."

Tully's successor is aware of Witton's financial problems, having been assistant manager at the club for the past few weeks.

The 50-year-old has a wealth of non-league experience with Kidsgrove, Witton's tenants Nantwich and more recently Leek, where he took over from Phil Wilson after he was named Vics manager.

"I'm back in the UniBond but I realise that Witton is a big club and I'll try to get them back where they belong," he said.

"I'm well aware of the task ahead. I need to bring a few players in and move some on but I'm relishing the challenge."

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