Dave Johncock has compared Deal Town to being run like a Sunday League team after the caretaker boss saw his hopes of being appointed manager of the struggling Southern Counties East League side end abruptly on Monday night.

Johncock was relieved of his duties with Deal bottom after winning just four games this season and the board decided to act following the 4-1 loss at Cray Valley on Saturday.

He’d been doing the job since September after he’d been promoted from his role as reserve team boss to fill the void after Darren Anslow resigned. Anslow had only been appointed in June.

Saturday’s defeat was Deal’s fourth in their past five games and it signalled the end for Johncock and his assistant Paul Egan.

And Johncock is not happy about the way the pair discovered they had been dismissed.

He said: “I am just so disappointed that no one from the board spoke to me after Saturday’s game or even on Sunday.

“All I got was a call on Monday night telling me our services were no longer required.

“That just about sums up the way the club is run, like a Sunday League team, although that’s unfair saying that – there are some really well run Sunday teams.

“What frustrates me is that six weeks ago I had a chat with them and offered to walk away if they wanted to appoint a permanent manager but they were happy to back me then. And now I am out.

“I know our performances of late haven’t been good enough but how can you prepare a side properly when you are not allowed to train on the ground and you have to make do training in a small school hall.

“I’ve done the best I could with what I had and it could have been so easy for myself and Paul to walk away but we didn’t.”

New Deal chairman Rob Marriott was given the opportunity to reply to Johncock’s criticism of the club but declined it.

He said: “At this point, I would prefer not to comment.”