BRACKNELL Town FC have issued a statement following the shock departure of manager Mark Tallentire.

The Robins yesterday announced Tallentire was leaving by 'mutual consent' in spite of his impressive record at Larges Lane.

Bracknell suffered their first Hellenic Premier defeat of the season on Saturday after a 3-0 defeat at Thatcham Town.

Town remain third in the table, having narrowly missed out on promotion last season when Tallentire also won three cups.

However, it appears matters between Tallentire and chairman Kayne Steinborn-Busse reached a head over the weekend leading to Tallentire's unexpected departure and subsequent criticism from a number of local, non-league clubs.

Bracknell have now released a statement on their website, though the details behind the decision to part ways with Tallentire remain sketchy.

The statement reads:

"We have seen and heard many things said since the news broke on Monday and it is very disappointing to see local managers comment about Bracknell Town FC when perhaps they would be better served focusing on their own club.

"Everyone seems to have an opinion, but that is football. However, the truth is that only Tally and the chairman truly know the relationship they had, and why it was decided to go separate ways.

"Together, the club achieved some great things during his 2 year stint as manager. The Tallentire name will remain firmly part of the history of this club.

"We will not be drawn, now, or at any time in the future on what went on, we simply just came to the natural end of the road, and out of respect it's best left as it is."

Assistant manager Geoff Warner has been put in temporary charge of Bracknell Town for tonight's trip to Ascot United (7.45pm ko) while the club narrow down their search for Tallentire's long-term replacement.

The statement continues: "We must now look to the future where our immediate objective as a club remains firmly on securing Step 4 football.

"The objective is to secure a manager that can buy into our vision and help add some exciting depth to our core team and we are in talks with a replacement and an announcement will be made in the coming days.

"The club is in good shape, on and off the field. Our spine is solid, we don’t need a total re-build.

"We have secured some great players in recent years, plus add into the mix the excellent young players who have come to us over the summer as a direct result of our youth programme.

"The incoming manager will be tasked with nurturing that talent and integrating them into our senior squad in the future.

"It is important we excite the fans when they come to the Lane on match days and that will continue to be a priority in the future.

"Thank you to all that have sent messages, we remain focused as a board and a club."