LESS than 24 hours after Buckland Athletic announced that they had parted ways with manager Dan Hart, Devon rivals Ivybridge Town have followed suit.

Ivybridge will be under new management when the next Western League season gets underway in August. This follows the resignation of joint managers Wayne Gamble and Lance Bailey along with coach Martin Mitchell, writes Graham Hambly.

The club have issued a statement confirming the departure of the management trio from Erme Valley.

The statement says: “Ivybridge Town FC can confirm that Wayne Gamble has resigned from his position as first team manager with immediate effect. Wayne’s decision is linked to an ongoing disciplinary investigation with the Football Association. This matter is entirely unrelated to Ivybridge Town FC and the timescales of the process are completely outside of our control.

“Following Wayne’s resignation, Lance Bailey and Martin Mitchell have also stepped down. Due to existing work commitments, both have confirmed they are unable to dedicate the time and effort required to run the team without Wayne’s significant involvement.”

Gamble, Bailey and Mitchell were appointed in 2023 and guided the club to promotion from the South West Peninsula League as champions of the Premier East Division in their first season. That was followed by a season of consolidation in the Jewson Western League, with a mid-table finish, also reaching the semi-final of the Devon County St Luke’s Bowl.

The club statement concludes: “We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Wayne, Lance and Mitch for their dedication and achievements. We part company on good terms and extend our very best wishes to them for the future.”

Ivybridge general manager Brian Howard added that the club will be advertising the vacant team manager’s position and also stressed that, as mentioned in the statement, the disciplinary investigation mentioned does not involve the Ivybridge club in any way.