Fermín Romero’s time as Brook Street Athletic’s Head Coach has come to an end as he stands down after four seasons in the hot seat.

The press had gathered following this afternoon’s 1-0 friendly win over Dundee 1893 expecting to ask Fermín Romero about his plans for next season, but in a surprise move he announced that he has stepped down as head coach of Brook Street Athletic.

To a stunned press room he said, “I spoke to the Chairman at the start of the season and told him my intentions. That we’ve kept the news under wraps for so long is incredible. We kept it quiet to avoid any unnecessary speculation which might distract the players although they all knew, and to give the Football Club time to appoint the right coach to take them forward”.

He continued, “That new coach is now in place and I am now standing aside. I have had a fabulous time here and met some wonderful people. I would have liked to go out on a high with promotion, but unfortunately that was not to be. I will be taking some time off now as this has been an intense job and I definitely need a rest. This has been the hardest decision of my life, but I know it is the right time”.

“This is the perfect time to move on”, he added. In the four seasons I’ve been here, I’ve had to bring the average age of the squad down and build the foundations of a side capable of challenging, all whilst remaining competitive, returning a profit and expanding the stadium. It was a difficult balancing act, but I think I have managed it albeit I would have preferred to have won a promotion in that time but that was a step too far against some top opposition”.

“I would like to thank the board of directors who gave me the chance of being Head Coach of this tremendous Football Club; to my players, I thank them sincerely for all their hard work and commitment to our ultimate goal and I wish them all the best of good fortune going forward. I have no doubt that they will be playing at a higher level soon”.

“Finally, to the fans I cannot thank you enough for the backing you have given us throughout good times and not so good. Your devotion to the Football Club is second to none and you will always have a special place in my heart”.

Fermín refused to be drawn on who the new coach is, saying with a smile, “The Club will be holding a press conference at 2:00pm tomorrow where you’ll all get a chance to meet him. I think he’ll be a huge success at Brook Street Athletic”.

And with that the Fermín Romero era came to an unexpected end. The new era starts tomorrow.