Vine disappointed not to get Gosport manager role

After helping the Privett Park team to avoid relegation as caretaker-manager he has been overlooked for the permanent position.

Chairman Iain McInnes has appointed Ryan Northmore as the new manager.

Vine still has a year to run on his contract as a player at Privett Park and he is disappointed not to have the chance to be in charge next season.

He said: ‘After what we achieved I expected to sit down with the club to discuss ways of taking things forward.

‘My feeling was that I could continue as player-manager and bring in an assistant. I thought I might get that opportunity.

‘Having kept them up it is disappointing not to get a chance.

‘Obviously that didn’t happen and there is a little bit of feeling demoted.

‘I will just have to wait and have more discussions about what the plan is. At the moment I don’t really know what is expected of me.’

Vine took on his role after McInnes sacked boss Alex Pike in March.

Pike had failed to secure a win in 14 games.

Vine and Louis Bell took over for the rest of the season with the priority of keeping them up.

It was a daunting task and Vine knew it wouldn’t be easy.

He added: ‘We were four points behind Dunstable with a game in hand.

‘Our first task was to try to bring some stability to the team.

‘There was a lot that was wrong at the club.

‘Training needed to be sorted because the numbers attending were down.

‘We started to work consistently at things in training that really should be taken for granted.

‘I signed five or six players before the transfer deadline and let a few others go.

‘We changed our formation and our style of play.

‘James Harper came in and gave us added experience.

‘The biggest thing, though, was changing the mentality of the side.

‘It was restoring their belief that proved the key.

‘Instead of screaming and shouting at players for not doing things we encouraged them to play to their strengths.

‘In the last week we won our last three games, scoring 13 goals and without conceding.

‘We were asked to keep Borough up and we did.’

Now Vine faces a wait to see if he has a future at Borough.

He added: ‘Until we have the necessary conversation I am only guessing.’