Joe Austin calls it time as manager of Maltby Main

The long-serving defender, who has clocked up more than 270 appearances for the club, took on the role at Muglet Lane when a planned appointment didn’t come to fruition.

He helped guide the Miners to a top-half finish in Northern Counties East League Division One in their first season down after relegation.

Chairman Kieron White said: "The club are really grateful for what Joe has done.

"He stepped in last summer when he didn’t really want to but he put the club before himself and agreed to take on the role instead of playing.

"Him deciding to leave is due to a number of things like family and work commitments. Managing a team is a time consuming job and it can be hard to fully commit.”

After a high turnover of managers at Maltby in recent times, Austin helped bring some stability to the role and the club.

Thanking Austin for his hard work, Main said in a statement: “We had a difficult start in the summer and had only a small number of players registered. Joe put together a good young squad that has proven to be competitive against any team in the league and we had some memorable wins along the way.

"He also created a link with Kyle Walker Academy and Rotherham Community Trust to give young players a route into the NCEL.

"He has come in and done a good job so it is a shame to see him go.”

The club also extended its thanks for the efforts of coaches Jamie Bailey and Craig Hawthorne, who are also moving on.

The announcement of a replacement for Joe Austin will be made in due course..