Andrew Law thanked the wider footballing community for its support following his departure from Limavady United.
Law admitted he felt "shock and disappointment" after the Roesiders called time on his tenure at The Showgrounds, with former boss Paul Owens being reappointed on Monday night.
Coleraine man Law was rightly proud of his 70 per cent win/draw rate during his 18 months in charge of the Premier Intermediate League side, and although he admitted recent performance did not "meet his standards" he is frustrated by the timing of decision.
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"When I got the phone call I felt a great deal of shock and disappointment and must admit since then I have been on a roller-coaster of emotions," said Law.
"Being honest the amount of phone calls, messages and support I received over the last few days from everyone including all three tiers in NIFL football has given me a great deal of comfort.
"The decision did catch me off guard. After the weekend myself and the staff were already talking about the next session and the next game.
"I’m an honest person and must admit that some performances of late haven’t been the best, but in a 40+ game season you’re not going to get everything right every game.
"Results weren’t bad, we do have standards in our changing room which maybe weren’t being met, but we certainly weren’t pressing panic buttons just yet.
"I'll let people make their own judgment on the harshness of the decision, everyone will have their own opinion on this.
"What I can say is we were still in the Irish Cup, the Intermediate Cup and sat sixth in the league three points off third.
"The PIL season consists of so many cups and most teams struggle to build up momentum in the league until December time where you get a month of four league games, so the timing of the decision frustrates me."
Law helped lift Limavady from the bottom of the table when he took over to a fourth placed finish last season, so he feels he is leaving the club in a stronger position from when he came in.
"This is one thing I will hold my head high about," he said. "When I came into the club it wasn’t in great position, the last league campaign was 2019/2020 when the league was curtailed due to coronavirus>covid.
"After 13 games that season Limavady were second bottom of the league and since then we have worked hard to better the club.
"Now I leave Limavady with a squad to be proud of that have an average age of just over 23. I haven’t been in a better changing room than the one I leave behind.
"The players who finished fourth last year and gained so much valuable experience are now the players who I personally believe will push the club in the title race again.
"I also believe that myself and the group of players had unfinished business in the Intermediate Cup after last year's semi-final defeat and it was definitely something we wanted to put right, I think the players can go on and do this.
"I must admit though, I am disappointed I won’t be the person leading the players into these games."
Law feels the experience with the Roesiders will stand him "in good stead" as he looks to a future in the game, but with time on his side he insists he won't rush into anything.
"I am still only 31, which is young with regards to football management and coaching," he said.
"I really don’t know what’s next for me, I have, and I continue to take stock of everything I’ve been through the last 18 months with more ups than downs.
"The experiences I have gained I think will hold me in good stead going forward. I don’t intend to stay away from football for long, that doesn’t mean I'll be back managing a team at the first opportunity that arises, but if an offer and a position I think I would enjoy comes up I won’t be scared to get back in the game.
"I certainly have no regrets from my time at Limavady and look forward to the next chapter in football.
"I have to put on record my thanks to Limavady for giving me the opportunity to manage this club and build the foundations we have.
"After speaking to all the players and staff they know how thankful I am for all their dedication and hard work, I can’t thank them enough and I wish them nothing but success in the future."
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