MANAGER Adie Arnold insists he will not walk away from troubled Christchurch – even if the club is relegated from the Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division.

Priory's 28-season stint in the league's top flight hangs by a thread with Arnold's side one point clear of relegation having played one game more than second-bottom Fareham.

But the former Verwood boss, who won Division One with the Potters in 2012, has reiterated his desire to stay on and vowed to do things his own way next term, irrespective of what happens over the next five weeks.

Quizzed on what he would do if the worst happened, Arnold told the Daily Echo: "Should we go down, we would want to stay here and give it a go.

"It is a good club to be at. The club has its negative aspects but they are far outweighed by the plus points and we know what it takes to get out of Division One.

"I have every confidence in myself, Danny (Saxby, assistant manager), Dan (Fawcett, goalkeeper coach) and the players we have round us. I think most of them would want to stay on and I would like think we could bounce straight back."

On the club's struggles, Arnold added: "When we came here we tried to keep everybody happy. I have always done things my own way but to begin with I tried to spin five or six plates and came unstuck.

"Once you get off to a bad start, you're treading water all the time and that has been the story of our season.

"At the end of the season we will regroup and build round the players who really want to be a part of what we are trying to achieve."

Right-hand man Saxby added: "It is a good club and suits us down to the ground. We did not have the best of starts because we did not do things our own way but next season, come what may, we will get it right.

"Everything is set up for us to do it."