A "gutted" Brett Donnelly has been sacked as manager of Hitchin Town.

The Southern League Premier Division Club lost their opening seven league games of the season but seemed to be pulling it around with four games undefeated.

Since then though they have conceded 10 goals in total in two home losses, a 5-1 reverse to play-off chasing Stourbridge on Saturday and a 5-2 defeat on Tuesday to Lowestoft Town.

That was enough for the Canaries hierarchy to pull the plug and Donnelly, never a man to hide his true feelings, believes the summer reprieve was a sucker-punch to his plans.

"Gutted to have to write this," he said on social media. "Being sacked by the club you hold so close to you is hard to take.

"That's football. I'm sure there are quite a few of you out there happy I've gone. That's life. You can't please everyone.

"My short tenure was tough and I wouldn't have taken it under any other circumstances except it was Hitchin Town.

"We knew it would be hard but relegation meant a fresh start.

"Sadly the late reprieve killed us.

"I wanted nothing more than to be successful, it didn't work out. It wasn't due to a lack of hard work on behalf from me and the management.

"[I want to thank] the management team for backing me and the players. We know how tough it has been but you've taken on board what I wanted and started to implement it.

"Be hard saying goodbye. I want to thank all those supporters that have been behind me, too many to mention.

"I liked nothing more than getting in early and having a chat.

"Finally, to everyone who I see daily in and around the town, I love taking football.

"It's meant the world to me to manage the club, just sorry I never got going."

The club blame "a disappointing start to the season" for why Donnelly has gone.

A statement read: "The management committee have unfortunately had to make the decision that to give us the best chance of remaining at step three this season, we regrettably need to make a change.

"We have today had to inform Brett Donnelly that we will be commencing the process to appoint a new manager.

"Last season was tremendously difficult for our fans but they stood by us throughout, we recognise that the start to this season has been very frustrating and equally disappointing and we feel we owe it to the fans to do all that we can with enough time left to turn this position around.

"Brett was appointed in March with a huge uphill task of trying to keep us safe in the last few remaining weeks of the season on the back of one of the most difficult runs of form for the club in recent history.

"We then had the news of our reprieve in the middle of the close season that impacted our preparations for 24/25.

"We have now played 13 league games and sit with just 8 points second from bottom in the league.

"Brett and his team have worked tirelessly to try and turn this position around but we feel that now is the right time to make this decision and to give us the best possible opportunity of turning our season around and securing the points required in the remainder of this season.

"We thank Brett for his passion and commitment to the role and we recognise the huge amount of effort he has put in against a backdrop of very difficult circumstances and a bit of bad luck.

"We have agreed with Michael Jones that he will take up the role of interim manager.

"We will look to provide further updates when these are available."