Farnham Town's failure to consolidate after the improved form of last season was the reason behind Andy Nunn's surprise resignation.
One win in seven games was not good enough for Nunn who was accustomed to giving 100 per cent effort in his playing days with Wokingham, Woking and Aldershot Town, as well as two spells at Farnham.
The 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Southall was the final straw and Nunn told the players and club chairman Derek Wythe the same night that he was standing down.
"Everyone was surprised, even my wife," said Nunn. "But that result put the lid on it and I decided the club needed a change.
"We've strengthened the squad after the improvement last season, but we were just not playing together as a unit. I had set my stall out that Farnham should be hard to beat, but we were conceding silly goals.
"I was putting the effort in, but when the players cross the white line there is nothing more a manager can do. The frustration was getting to me and I found myself worrying a great deal about the results. I couldn't go through the season like that. Perhaps I need a break after 25 years in the game.
"I want the players to do well. I'd given myself 10 games to get it right, but it just hasn't happened."
Farnham's poor form puzzles Nunn because he considers they have met only two decent sides this season – Whitehawk in the FA Vase and Sandhurst in the league. "We should have beaten all the other sides," he said.
Nunn took over as manager at a difficult time for the club. They had just parted company with Peter Browning and there had been an exodus of players following him to Sandhurst.
Nunn's young, inexperienced side finished second from bottom of the league in 2000-01. But he wasn't discouraged and set to work building a squad that, despite two dips in form, finished in mid-table last season.
However, Farnham struggled in the opening weeks of the new campaign. Seven games netted just six points and they fell at the first hurdle in both the FA Cup and FA Vase.