'˜Disappointed' O'Toole says running Horsham under-23s side was a '˜thankless task'

The UEFA B 1 licence badge holder was appointed as manager of the club’s newly-formed-23 side in the summer.

He oversaw seven Bostik League Development South matches, all of which ended in defeat with the new venture not working out as planned.

O’Toole was announced as the new manager of Southern Combination League side Wick last week, but committed to remaining as the Hornets under-23 boss as well.

However, his new role combined with the fact Horsham’s new ground has been delayed, leaving training options limited, prompted the club to announce at the end of last week that they would be withdrawing from the league and folding the side.

O’Toole said: “I am a bit disappointed but it’s just one of those things. Having nowhere to train makes it a thankless task. Just turning up with a group of players, you’re learning on the job, it’s a real harsh lesson for them as well.

“They’re a great group of lads but all the time we couldn’t train or get together enough, it’s really tough.

“For myself and one of the coaches, we’ve got to be taking training sessions and getting our assessments done and all the time we’re not training we’re both wasting our time.

“There was no falling out, nothing like that, it just wasn’t working in anybody’s favour.”

A club statement added: “It is a sad day for the club and the decision has been made with a heavy heart. When the team was formed in the summer, we had realistic expectations that we would be occupying the new ground by the turn of the year and have the training pitch available for use by the early autumn.

“The timetable has been put back. As a result the under-23s have been unable to train since the end of August. This has limited the development of the enthusiastic squad of players and the team has struggled against opponents that are supported by successful under-18 and academy teams.

“Many of the players have now indicated that they are unable to continue playing for the club. This, coupled with the fact that manager Bryan O’Toole has accepted an appointment at Wick FC and his support staff are unable to gain the hands-on experience needed to maintain or enhance their coaching qualifications, has meant that the squad faced an increasingly challenging season.

“The team is grateful to Bryan, Lee Hayes and Will Searle for their hard work over the past few months and to the players who have given their all in attempt to keep the team going. We wish them well for the future.”