SHOCKING news out of the Jewson Western League concerns Tavistock AFC with manager Steve Tully departing the club.

The Lambs are currently enjoying a rich vein of form, collecting 10 points from the last 12 available, not to mention a recent FA Vase victory over Ivybridge Town.

Ryan Smith, Tom Chastey, Deacon Thomson and Kian Burch were all on target at Erme Valley as Tavistock beat the Ivies 4-1, earning themselves a home tie against Elburton Villa in the first round proper for next month.

That aforementioned run in the league has the club within a point of the step-five playoff positions at the time of writing and so this news really does come as a shock.

In his statement, Tully said: “It is with great sadness that I have decided to step away from the club as manager.

“There has been a lot of upheaval in the past few months – former chairman’s financial problems and the new board not having the assurances or resources to keep this squad together and being competitive through no fault of their own.”

On that, Tavistock recruited well in the summer, snagging Smith and Sam Hillson from Ivybridge, landing experienced defender Shane White from Plymouth Parkway and bringing Reece Shanley back to the club, amongst others.

He continued: “I have loved every moment of my time at the club, there are some real gems of people at the club – Jamie the media guy does a fantastic job and the publicity he’s brought in has been evident this year.

“Dave Crawford is an unsung hero, great photography week in week out; the grounds people, Tony and Pete, who have made the pitch green all year round which after the summer shows great dedication.

“Lisa and Shelby, who have kept the club running behind the scenes on the financial side; my staff, Rich, Scott and Macca – we built something special with a lot of hard work and endeavour especially in the summer.

“I look forward to working together again soon.

“Last but not least the fans – you are the club and always will be. You have always given me honesty and respect from day one and I appreciate all your support.”

From the outside looking in, there didn’t seem to be any indication of discontent in spite of the well-documented issues surrounding the club last season moving into this one.

It goes without saying that Tully swiftly become a hugely popular figure at Langsford Park and as his statement suggests, he had a lot of time for everyone around him too.

In their nine league games to date, the Lambs probably couldn’t have had it any harder, facing Buckland Athletic, St. Blazey, Portishead Town and Clevedon Town to name a few, all of whom are expected to be in and around the playoff picture alongside Tavistock.

Their only two defeats have come against the Posset and Clevedon whilst they shared the spoils with St. Blazey and beat Buckland by two goals to nil on the opening day of the season, also securing wins against Bovey Tracey AFC, Sidmouth Town and Brixham AFC.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Tully appeared on the Western League podcast, labelling Tavistock as a “sleeping giant” and an “ambitious club” in “transition” with “new ownership and new ideas.”

The subsequent statement from the club said “Thank you, Steve, for everything you have put into the club” whilst also noting “We look forward to moving ahead together, with the community at the heart of everything we do.” As of yet, there is no mention of what the future looks like in the Tavistock dugout.