CHAIRPERSON Paula Henley claimed Wimborne Town had sacked manager Simon Browne over a "negative" attitude towards the club's new playing budget. 

Browne and his assistant Brendon King were today relieved of their duties less than six months after the ex-Hamworthy boss had taken over from Steve Cuss. 

It was a tumultuous spell as Henley's consortium took over and axed the bulk of the £1,250-per-week provision for player and management wages – a sum that had been reduced from £1,750 per week by the previous board –within two months of Browne's appointment in a bid to save the cash-strapped club.

The inevitable exodus followed, although the club honoured their obligations to contracted pair James Stokoe and Billy Maybury, who had signed their deals at the start of the season, along with expenses for the rest of the squad.

Browne and King opted to fight on with Henley committed to delivering a budget for next season and not only kept Magpies in Southern South & West but improved the club's playing record. 

But within three weeks of the campaign ending, Cuthbury chief Henley argued Browne had pushed the board towards an unexpected course of action. 

Henley told the Daily Echo: "With the level of budget we are able to offer, Simon intimated he wouldn’t be able to do an awful lot with it.

"He was fairly negative and didn’t give the board much inspiration in terms of how he was going to drive the club forward.

"We didn’t think we could move forward with him with the ideas he had for the club. It was never going to work with his attitude towards the budget.

"We expected someone to perhaps think it was not the best budget in the world but to say 'I understand, I can work with it' but we didn't get that feeling over several conversations.

"Because of what has happened to the club over the past year, we knew we had to move forward with someone that could work to that budget and remain with the club. 

"There is no point starting off with someone who doesn't think it is a reasonable budget and then jacking it in after six games.

"We need stability and didn't believe we would have it with Simon and Brendon on the budget we were delivering for them."

Wimborne picked up 27 points from 24 league matches under Browne having taken 17 from their first 18.

Henley continued: "We are very grateful for what they have done given that the budget was taken as soon as I came in.

"They ground out some fantastic results but unfortunately, moving forward the club cannot meet his (Browne's) wage expectations for the players.

"We had a board meeting and the decision was not taken lightly. People always say that but it really was the case with Simon.

"We looked at whether we could provide more for the budget but historically, too much went wrong for the previous board and we were not prepared to put ourselves in the same position again.

"Maybe in a year or so, we could have given him what he wanted but we could not do it at the moment.

"There was nothing wrong with the way he wanted to move things forward next season, we just couldn’t support it and that was what it boiled down to in the end."

Henley said the club had yet to discuss the post with any prospective candidates and invited appliactions via email to info@wimbornetownfc.co.uk

Browne was unavailable for comment this evening.