Steve Watt is stepping down as Hythe manager at the end of the season.

Watt has been considering his future for a couple of months and feels it’s time for a new challenge.

He informed chairman Gary Johnson after the Cannons’ Easter Monday match at Sheppey.

The 3-0 loss was their fifth successive defeat in Isthmian South East, leaving them 12th in the table, but Watt’s decision has nothing to do with recent results.

“We could have got to the play-off final and I would still have made this decision,” said Watt.

“I’ve had boys apologising to me, feeling it’s their fault, but they’ve nothing to apologise for.

“What they’ve put their bodies through for me is incredible.

“I told Gary I’d had something on my mind for a while, a good couple of months.

“You’ve got to ask yourself sometimes how much more can you do?

“We were so close to going up last year and I felt if I could add a couple more bits of quality, which I have done, then it could make the difference.

“That was my reason for staying last year, because I nearly went after last season’s play-off final.

“It’s been a tough year, with all the postponements and playing catch-up and things going on.

“A couple of months ago you start thinking about next season and I thought is it time for a change?

“I could have waited until the end of the season and made the decision then but I didn’t think it was fair on the club.

“I wanted to give them as much time as possible to get the right person in.

“I was always going to make a decision before the end of the season and let the club know as soon as I knew.

“As a manager you want to start preparing for next year and if I’m not going to be there, I need to let the club know.

“People forget I’ve been here five years on and off.

“When I took over they were second-bottom of the league and we’ve been able to build a genuine play-off contender.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done.

“I love the club, my family love the club but I just think for me and my career it’s maybe time to have a new challenge somewhere else.

“It’s a risky decision but I’m not someone who’s going to stay in a job if I’m not fully committed, and I didn’t think I could make that commitment for next year.

“All I hear is that it’s easier to get a job when you’re in a job but I can’t work that way.

“I can’t stay in a job with an eye on getting another job.”

Watt first took charge at Hythe in September 2019 as successor to Sam Denly.

He left midway through the 2021/22 season but returned the following summer after James Rogers stepped down.

The 2022/23 campaign was one of the best in the club’s history as the Cannons won 14 of their last 19 games to make the Isthmian South East play-offs.

Watt’s side lost just once at home all season, conceding only six goals at Reachfields.

They beat Ramsgate on penalties in the play-off semi-finals before losing 1-0 at Whitehawk in the final.

While a fixture backlog hampered the Cannons’ chances of emulating last season’s play-off run, they reached the last 32 of the FA Trophy for the first time in their history.

Watt’s side led Chorley in the fifth round before the National League North outfit recovered to win 2-1.

“It’s been an unbelievable ride,” said Watt. “I can’t thank everyone associated with the club enough, the fans, the board, for the way they’ve supported me.

“We’ve had the success we’ve had but one of the things I’m most proud of is we’ve always given people opportunities here.

“It’s been a great journey and I’ll leave with my head held high, knowing we’ve been able to create all these memories for people who deserve it, and nights I’ll never forget and the players will never forget.”

Watt has seven games left as Hythe manager, unless the club make an appointment sooner.

The play-offs are out of reach but they can still finish on a high.

“That’s the goal, to finish as strongly as possible,” said Watt.

“It’s tough at the moment because we’ve got a lot of players missing and we don’t have the biggest squad.

“I’ve told the club my preference is to see out the season but if they find someone and want to make the change sooner, then let me know. I’m here to help the club.

“Hopefully I can see out the season and say goodbye to everyone properly because I’ve loved every minute of it.

“It’ll be a sad day, the last day down there.”