Departing Haverhill Rovers manager Liam Aves explains the reasons behind his exit from The New Croft

Liam Aves felt it was best for all parties that he stepped down as manager of Haverhill Rovers.

Aves, who took charge of Rovers last October and achieved his remit of retaining Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division football, informed the club of his decision to resign in the wake of last week’s 4-3 defeat at Brantham Athletic.

The result left Rovers bottom of the table with four straight losses at the start of the new campaign, yet it was not that form that dominated Aves’ thought process when it came to departing.

Instead, with the summer having been more hectic than he had planned for and the job now taking up large parts of his personal life, Aves believes it is the right time for somebody else to continue the job he started.

“When I sat down with the club in the summer they made it clear they wanted to be in and around mid-table this season,” he said.

“At the time I thought that was possible providing that we had a good summer of recruitment, but also kept the squad I’d put together towards the end of last season.

“As it was we lost quite a few to higher-league clubs, which is great because I’m there to help lads improve and kick on, but it left us having to replace them and it became difficult.

“The squad is still full of good players and the facilities are great. Everything is there to push on, but I just feel that it needs fresh impetus.

“I take my football really seriously, it’s what I love, but I was finding I was constantly on the phone and it was starting to spill into my personal life.

“There wasn’t even a break in the summer because we had to be busy trying to get players in. I know that’s a manager’s job, but it takes its toll.

“It’s something that has been in the back of my mind for a little while and it just feels like the right thing for myself and the club.

“We kept them up and that was an incredible achievement, but now it’s time for somebody else to take it on.”

Aves, who was part of the AFC Sudbury coaching staff during Mark Morsley’s tenure, is now planning to take a break from the game.

However, he is determined to jump back in once the right offer comes along.

“I’ll have a little break and relax a bit,” he added.

“There’s certain things coming up in my personal life and all of that gets put to one side for football.

“But I’ll definitely get back involved. Football is my passion and my hobby so I’ll be looking for the right club and go from there.

“I enjoyed the job at Haverhill overall. I’m still quite young but I gained plenty of experience and I’ll be ready to go again at some stage.”