‘I feel I’ve done the best I could, maybe I’ve run out of ideas’ – Steve Ledger quits as Paulsgrove manager

The former Baffins Milton Rovers assistant returned to Grove, where he had been a player, ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

Initially brought in as assistant to Wayne Grant, he took over as manager when the latter left to join Infinity around this time last year.

‘It was a really, really tough decision to make,’ Ledger told The News. ‘I’ve been there two years and to be honest it’s been an emotional two years, with ups and downs.

‘I’ve done two years, and I feel I’ve done the best I could. Maybe I’ve run out of ideas. It’s time for some fresh blood to come in and hopefully take it to the next level.

‘It’s a great club with a great community who deserve so much more than what they are getting.

‘It’s an amazing club with an amazing bunch of people and I will always want what’s best for them.

‘There’s a good youth base and some experienced heads, they’ve got the right blend.

Ledger’s assistant, Darren Lambe, has been put in temporary charge of Grove alongside Kevin Doughty and Kieron Hoolihan.

‘Darren Lambe has been an absolute Godsend,’ said Ledger. ‘If it wasn’t for him and Kev Doughty the club would struggle to survive.

‘There’s just a few people who do everything - clean the pitch, arrange the refs, arrange the teams, everything.

‘At Wessex level you have more of a structure - chairman, committee, secretary, ground, groundsman, volunteers.

‘At Hampshire (level) you have to do everything yourself.

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‘I’ll say it again, Darren Lambe has been absolutely extraordinary. He’s got his own family, his own job, and he’s got Paulsgrove on top of that and running it virtually single-handedly.

‘It’s so hard, literally seven days a week - 24 hours a day isn’t enough.’

Ledger saw two long-serving Grove players, Billy Butcher and Joe Dorsett, leave in recent weeks to join HPL Senior Division rivals Locks Heath.

‘Those two had been there since they were young, they would bleed for the club,’ said Ledger.

‘They just thought it was the right time to have a change, and that’s probably what I need. I’ll just take some time out to refocus and rethink.’

In order for Paulsgrove to progress to the Wessex League, they will need a raft of ground improvements at their Marsden Road base - the main one being floodlights.

‘They were talking about that when I played there,’ said Ledger. ‘That was part of the plan when I came back, and but two years later nothing has changed.

‘But I really do hope they can kick on and get their Wessex League dream.’

Ledger leaves Grove with the club having won just one of the opening six HPL games - and that was 3-1 against Whitehill & Bordon in their curtain-raiser.

On Bank Holiday Monday, they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to a Liss side who had only picked up one point from their first five fixtures.

Grove travel to Overton United in the league this weekend.