Aspin wants quick Harrogate exit

Neil Aspin has managed Harrogate Town for four-and-a-half seasons

Harrogate Town manager Neil Aspin says he wants to leave the club "as early as possible," having ended the season in ninth place in Blue Square North.

Town lost their final game of the campaign 3-2 at Gainsborough Trinity.

Aspin told BBC Radio York: "The club are pretty keen for me to leave so they can get a new manager in place, and they've advertised for the job.

"I don't want to be hanging about either, so hopefully we'll see some movement in both directions this week."

Aspin highlighted the FA Cup first-round tie against Torquay, when they took them to penalties in a replay, as the highlight of his four-and-a-half years in charge.

"That was a really good time," he added, "it was just the atmosphere around the ground and just seeing the ground full, the atmosphere was very upbeat.

"People have to remember that Harrogate Town, in every season that I've been there, we've always, at some stage, been at the top of the league.

"We've always managed to be challenging at the right end of the table.

"There have been a lot of good days. It's been my first job in management, I've enjoyed it, and I'd like to stay in (management) as long as possible."

"Lack of resources and a lack of facilities have always hampered us, and I do feel at times we weren't far away from getting into the Conference.

Neil Aspin

"At times when the team has played well over the last few seasons, I've felt we were getting together a good squad. We just needed a couple more players to really push on and get the club into a higher division.

"The supporters have always been very good to me. I don't have any hard feelings with the chairman (Bill Fotherby), I've always worked well with him, we haven't fallen out, it's obviously down to finances.

"There's a lot of people associated with the club who've been there for years who are the lifeblood of the club and why clubs like Harrogate Town exist.

"Lack of resources and a lack of facilities have always hampered us, and I do feel at times we weren't far away from getting into the Conference."

As for next season, Aspin revealed: "There are only three players who have been offered a contract for next season, so there'll obviously be a lot of changes."