STEVE Leigh will not change his mind about quitting as player-manager of struggling Newport IOW but confessed: "It's gut-wrenching to leave."

Leigh informed the club of his decision to quit after Tuesday's 2-1 Hampshire Senior Cup semi-final defeat at Basingstoke Town but was advised by director Alan Phillips to take 24 hours to think it over.

There will be no change of heart, however, from the Portsmouth-based midfielder/defender who admits his future at the club had been "hanging by a thread" ever since the dismal 4-0 surrender at Lymington & New Milton nearly two weeks ago which all but sounded the death knell for Ryman 1 survival.

With no money available to pay players, Leigh - who was in his first season as a manager - has been hitting his head up against a brick wall trying to get a decent side together week in, week out.

"People will look at our league position (second to bottom) and say I've jumped ship before it goes down, but it's not like that," he said.

"It's been one kick in the teeth after another this season. The Lymington game ripped me apart. It was an absolutely passionless display.

"And at Burgess Hill it was nothing short of embarrassing that we had to play a 15 or 16-stone goalkeeper up front because we didn't have anyone else. That's no disrespect to Joe McCormack, but things like that shouldn't be happening at a Ryman League club.

"I can't fault the lads for Tuesday night's defeat at Basingstoke because we played exceptionally well, but we had one player pull out at two o'clock that afternoon with a knee injury, which is typical of what's been happening. We were 90 minutes away from a cup final and yet I was still scratching around for a side."

Leigh has been followed out of the door by three fellow mainlanders - player-coach Fraser Quirke, skipper Leigh Cole and goalkeeper Alex Hards.

It leaves one hell of a job for coach Steve Brougham, who will be in charge for Saturday's daunting trip to top-of-the-table Ramsgate.

Two-goal James Taylor fired Basingstoke through to the Hampshire Senior Cup final 3-1 on aggregate. They now meet Farnborough at AFC Bournemouth on April 24.

Mike McEnery had drawn Newport level at 1-1 on the night, but the Islanders were reduced to ten men when Quirke was dismissed for a second bookable offence.