SHORTWOOD co-manager Jason Scrivens has announced his departure in the wake of the expected end to the Hellenic League season due the coronavirus pandemic.

It has been decided at a meeting of the FA Leagues Committee that clubs across the country playing from step three to step six in the non-league pyramid, including Brimscombe will not be able to complete the 2019-20 campaign and it is now being discussed whether to null and void it completely or decide the final finishing positions by points per game.

Scrivens took the reigns last season with the club on the brink of collapse following their decision to drop out of the Southern League after their financial backer pulled out of the club, sparking a player exodus.

Scrivens, a former Shortwood player, oversaw a challenging season in the Toolstation Western Premier where the team registered one victory.

This season, Scrivens helped galvanise the club in the Hellenic League with the team sitting in the fourth-place promotion spot with nine games to play.

Despite his disappointment, Scrivens felt the decision to end the season was correct during the coronavirus crisis.

He said: “ This is a very frustrating situation with so many points to still play for, but in light of what’s going on, I would find it very difficult to see how the season would be able to finish on the pitch .

“It will be very hard for teams to take on promotion and relegation without games played and cause frustration again and from a personal point of view it would of been nice to see out my last season as first team manager right to the end, but I’m leaving it in the strong hands of Matty Blythe.”