AXED Christchurch manager Adie Arnold believes his tough stance over club captain Mark Smith had been “the final nail in my coffin”.

Arnold was sacked by the Wessex One strugglers in the wake of their 3-1 defeat by Amesbury at Hurn Bridge on Saturday.

The former Verwood boss was relieved of his duties following a turbulent 16-month reign which saw Priory relegated last season.

Christchurch also made early exits from the FA Cup, FA Vase and Hampshire Senior Cup this season, albeit to higher-level opposition.

And while Arnold acknowledges an “accumulation of things” contributed to his downfall, he is convinced his recent decision to discipline Smith was the last straw for the club.

Arnold told the Daily Echo: “We went to Blackfield in the Hampshire Senior Cup last month and Mark was among our substitutes. I asked him to warm up with about 25 minutes to go and he refused to come off the bench.

“That would cause an issue for any manager and I had to address it. I didn’t receive an apology so Mark was subsequently left out of the squad for the FA Vase. That was a massive call by me because he is a very influential person at Christchurch.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Mark because he backed me 100 per cent while I was at the club but I had to deal with that situation. It was a difficult decision but one I had to make as a manager. You can’t allow that to happen.

“It certainly didn’t help with me being released by the club. I understand how football works and the disciplinary action I took with Mark was possibly the final nail in my coffin.”

Arnold, who replaced Michael Cuffie at Hurn Bridge in May 2014, added: “That wasn’t the reason I was given and there were an accumulation of things.

“We were relegated last season and hadn’t made the best start to this season. It had been difficult to get a settled side and I know that comes back to the manager.

“I can understand the reasons behind the decision. There are a lot of good people at Christchurch and I have a lot of respect for them. I was very grateful to have been given the opportunity to manage them and wish them all the best for the future.”

Arnold’s backroom team of Danny Saxby, Dan Fawcett, Mike Glavin and John Sharkey have also left the club.

  • Rob Woolner’s double proved in vain as New Milton suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Wessex One rivals Romsey at Fawcett’s Field.

And Ringwood’s impressive unbeaten start came to a shuddering halt as they went down 4-0 at Alton where Peter Richmond-Cole was sent off having been deemed to have stamped on an opponent when he claimed he was trying to help him up after a tackle.