WITTON chairman Mark Harris has said a decision on who should succeed Brian Pritchard as manager is one of the hardest he’s had to take.

He is likely to wait until after Albion have travelled to Barwell at the weekend to make up his mind.

That means Anthony Sheehan has another chance to impress following Tuesday’s 2-0 win against Halesowen.

“I’m not in a hurry,” said Harris.

“The club has to be sure it’s making the right choice, and this will be one of the toughest because the calibre of the candidates on the shortlist is so good.

“This is a team that people want to manage, which is a testament to Brian Pritchard and the job he did.”

From a pile of applications that numbered more than 30, Harris has spoken to eight or nine.

Five will have been interviewed before Saturday, including Sheehan.

“Anthony Sheehan and the rest of the caretaker management team has set us a real challenge,” added Harris.

“It is more than likely they will be in the dugout at Barwell, because it would be unfair to them and the players to put somebody else in place before then.”

The Albion chairman told the Guardian that whoever he asks to take over will need to be ruthless.

And quickly, for the Northwich outfit’s weekly wage bill is higher than a budget set in the summer.

Harris said: “That can’t be allowed to continue.

“We can’t sustain what we’re spending now, though I must stress this; it is not a cut that’s needed, rather an exercise to bring the figure down to what it should be.

“The reality is we won’t spend money we don’t have.”

He reinforced that message in an open letter addressed to supporters on the club’s official website yesterday, Thursday.

In it, he asked for help at boardroom level.

“The last few weeks have brought home to me the fact that we need more people,” he wrote.

“This is a wonderful club with the scope to become even better. If we want to move forwards we need extra hands, skills and brains.”