LYME Regis have parted company with first-team manager Julien Simier.

Simier had from June 2021 led the Seasiders after Mark Bailey’s decision to vacate the joint-manager role.

French coach Simier, who also enjoyed a stellar playing career at Davey Fort, did not take charge of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Okehampton Seconds.

That honour fell to Rob Fellingham, who takes charge on an interim basis while Simier’s successor is decided.

It means Simier’s final match in the hotseat was the 3-1 defeat by Okehampton on Saturday, January 28, leaving Lyme third in the Devon & Exeter League Premier Division standings.

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He leaves having won 24 of 44 games while operating as manager after Bailey stepped away, taking six draws and 14 losses in all competitions.

Speaking to the Bridport & Lyme Regis News, Lyme chairman Gerard Hitchcock revealed the club’s reasoning behind the decision to relieve Simier of his duties.

He said: “We appreciate everything Julien was doing and has done for the club. Hopefully in the future he’ll still be a part of it.

“As a club, we’ve decided that we just had to take another path, for player retention and recruitment which is becoming a lot harder.

“We just felt we needed to take a different direction. We don’t have a problem with Julien, it just wasn’t quite working out.

“We didn’t want to see it further down a route that might end acrimonious. He has had a successful stint.”

When contacted, Simier declined to comment on his departure but did give his full backing to Fellingham.

Lyme have not set out a timetable to appoint Simier’s successor but Fellingham is again expected to take charge for the trip to Sidmouth Town Seconds on Saturday (3pm).

And Fellingham first paid tribute to Simier.

“It came as a bit of a surprise for everyone,” Fellingham said.

“His football knowledge was amazing and his commitment and drive is definitely going to be missed.

“That’s what’s going to be missed most, just how much he cared and what he did around the club.

“I know a lot of the lads have spoken to him since and said how much he’ll be missed.

“He’s been such a big part of the furniture at Lyme for so long, going from player to coach to manager. He’ll be massively missed.”

In Saturday's win, Bailey saw a volley saved and Fellingham netted the rebound in his first game as interim boss, reinforcing Steve Batey’s 175th strike for the club with a header from a corner.

“This week it was a simple message for more drive and commitment,” Fellingham said.

“We did that in a big way, it wasn’t the most glamorous of victories but a gritty, solid win.”

Looking to the Sidmouth game, Fellingham added: “It will be an interesting one because Sidmouth are a bit of an unknown quantity.

“All of the games they have lost haven’t seemed to be by many. It’s a completely different surface to ours. There’s quite a good buzz after the win and the clean sheet.”

Centre-back Luke Clifton will come in as Fellingham’s interim player-assistant.