TONY Sullivan stood down as Witton Albion’s manager on Saturday night.

He told chairman Mark Harris he wanted to resign while the pair stood pitch-side only minutes after the Northwich club’s 3-2 defeat at Stamford.

“I’ve let Mark down,” said Sullivan.

“I gave my all, and it wasn’t good enough. That’s it.

“I can’t blame the players, nor make excuses about injuries. I’m not going to point a finger at anything.

“I take full responsibility for Witton Albion being relegated.

“Why? Because I was in charge of the team.”

Harris, and the rest of the Albion board, must now start a search for a successor capable of making the club contenders to be promoted at the first attempt from the Northern Premier League’s second tier.

That will not be easy.

When Witton were relegated from the Premier Division in 2009, they needed three seasons before returning under Brian Pritchard.

Their task at the weekend was clear; avoid defeat against a rival to beat the drop.

Goals from Sam Barnes and Liam Goulding before half time established a 2-0 lead, only for Stamford to draw level in the second period before Tom McGowan scored the winner with seven minutes left.

Sullivan said: “We were 2-0 up, and cruising.

“Stamford weren’t in the game at all. Everything had gone perfectly, and according to plan.

“But conceding a penalty turned the game.

“That’s the story of my time here; how many times has one incident changed the course of a match?

“Now, on my CV, it will say I got this club relegated.”

Sullivan left Cammell Laird, where he had been manager since November 2010, in October to take charge at Witton.

He replacement Anthony Sheehan, who had quit following a sequence of four successive league defeats and a humiliating FA Cup exit at lower-ranked Runcorn Town.

Albion lost seven league fixtures in a row after Sullivan’s arrival, sinking to second-bottom in the table.

But he oversaw an improvement that took them to as high as 15th following a 3-2 win against Rushall at the end of March.

However they did not collect maximum points again, suffering a reverse in five of their final six games, including on Saturday.

“Circumstances at different stages of the season haven’t helped, but that’s neither here nor there now,” added the 40-year-old.