TIM Cole is “gutted” to have left his “dream job” as co-manager of Winchester City.

Cole quit in the wake of Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Brockenhurst, unable to work any longer with City’s straight-talking director of football Dave Malone.

Joint manager Danny Robinson, below, and coach Carl Whittington followed him out of the door yesterday, leaving the ambitious Sydenhams Premier club looking for their fourth manager since Malone and former Eastleigh chairman Paul Murray rescued Winchester from almost certain closure in April last year.

Graham Kemp was the new regime’s first managerial appointment, but he had gone by the end of October.

Malone then turned to City’s 2004 FA Vase-winning manager Neil Hards – an open-ended arrangement that lasted until April.

On leaving, Hards warned his successors of City’s high expectations, remarking: “At Winchester you’re expected to win every game and, if you don’t, there’s always a debate about it.”

It was those debates – even after winning games – that persuaded Cole it was “unfeasible” to continue.

He and Robinson boasted an impeccable CV from six years at Alresford, transforming the Mapgies from relegation fodder to title candidates and delivering seven trophies in their last three years at Arlebury Park.

The pair had always intended to leave Alresford at the end of last season and Cole was considering stepping away from football completely. But the former City reserve/youth manager said: “The reason I went to Winchester was because of the potential of the club. It was my dream job and I was chuffed to bits to get it.

“I don’t think managing Winchester is hard – working without money at Alresford, that’s hard – but the job was being made hard.

“Me resigning wasn’t all about Wednesday night, I nearly did it last week. I always tell players they’ve got to enjoy it, but I wasn’t enjoying it myself.

“The fans, committee and Paul Murray have been brilliant and I’m gutted it didn’t work out.

“I said from day one that I’d be doing the football side of it, but it got to the stage where there was an argument over everything.

“Me, Danny, Carl and Dale (Clist, goalkeeping coach) wanted to stick to the way we did things at Alresford.

“I’ve got my faults and I dug my heels in as well and I do blame myself a bit, but no way in a month of Sundays could I have carried on the way it was. It would have gone downhill rapidly.”

Scotching talk of a public fall-out between him and Cole, Malone said: “Tim came into the bar at Brockenhurst, asked for a private word and said: ‘That’s it, I’m done.’ We had words, but it wasn’t a row. We haven’t rowed since the day Tim and Danny came here.

“I make it clear to any manager I work with that I want to get involved. Why would I just stand on the sidelines throwing money at it? I’ve never had input into picking the team or tactics, but I have had input into player recruitment.

“I wanted the best of Alresford added to the best of Winchester, but one by one players were going. We lost Sam Wilson and I would like to have kept young Reece Rusher here.

“My only ‘interference’, if that’s what people are calling it, is trying to source players better than those we have. If that’s a sin, I’m guilty.

“I’m not ‘Mr Impossible’, but I do have high standards and expect things done a certain way. I don’t apologise for that.

“If I thought it was for the good of the football club, I’d willingly stand aside. But from the minute I’ve been here I’ve only ever done what I thought was best for Winchester.”

Malone asked Robinson if he would continue alone, but the 28-year-old said: “My position had become untenable. It’s a shame how it’s finished, but I’ll never regret trying it. I can’t be out of football and I want something I can get my teeth into.”