THE Bashley Football Club power struggle came to a head yesterday when the New Forest club accepted chairman David Malone's offer to resign and promptly sacked manager Bob Higgins.

Former team boss Derek Binns has taken temporary charge of both roles ahead of today's FA Umbro Trophy clash with Burnham at the Recreation Ground.

But word on the Forest grapevine is that Malone's predecessor Ray Pinney is set to return to the club with, possibly, Barry Blankley coming back as team manager.

Binns, whose managerial reign lasted less than a month into the season after some poor results, stayed on as vice-chairman and was replaced as team boss by former Saints youth development officer Higgins.

But Bash remained entrenched in the Dr Martens Eastern Division relegation zone and many behind the scenes opposed Malone's policy of ousting senior players like Graeme Gee and Jimmy Anderson in favour of youngsters from the Higgins coaching stable.

Malone, however, dug his heels in, insisting youth development was the only way forward if Bashley were ever to stand on their own two feet financially.

The Winchester-based businessman took over last summer, since when he estimates to have pumped £24,000 into club coffers.

He said: "It would have cost me at least another £40,000 to have kept it going until the end of the season.

"I didn't want to pull the plug, but in the past few weeks it had become evident that members of both the general and executive committees had been resisting the strategy I had implemented for the continued survival of the club. I only hope and pray they've got proper arrangements in place to keep everything going.

"I'm aware that discussions have taken place with Ray Pinney and I assume he will return for the third - or is it fourth? - occasion. Should he do so, I wish him luck - he will most certainly need it.

"I would pay tribute to the work of Bob Higgins, Jenner Brown, Kevin Dixon, Ian Knight and all the other members of the coaching staff. They have worked tirelessly for the good of the club and I apologise to them for the inability of the two committees to allow their good work to continue."

Malone added: "I was unaware that Derek (Binns) had the authority to dismiss Bob Higgins . . . I trust he will be able to justify this decision and that the future prosperity of the club will prove him and the other committee members to be right."

Binns countered: "David Malone's demands were totally unacceptable, but we thank him and Bob Higgins and wish them well.

"Ray (Pinney) might be offered the chairman's post if he's interested, but what we can't afford is to have the club run autocratically. It's got to be run by the committee."