Sports therapist Mark Mullins to leave Matlock Town

Mullins, also a former player who played in the Matlock side which was the last to reach the 1st Round Proper of the FA Cup in 1989/90, said it had been a tough decision.

“Matlock Town is my football club, I love the club to bits, in my view there’s no better football club in this land than Matlock Town” he said.

“It’s been a really hard decision but my sports therapist business is growing all the time and my house is upside down and really needs some time devoting to it.

“I also never get the chance to see my lad play for Clipstone so it’s a combination of all of these factors.”

Mullins is not cutting his ties with the Gladiators completely.

He added: “I’ve said that I’ll still come and watch and if it’s desperate I’ll help out for a short time.

“I love Matlock Town, all the guys on the board who’ve been brilliant to me, the volunteers behind the scenes and of course the fans, I love everyone to bits.”

Mullins departure has come as a shock to boss Paul Phillips, who is keen to find a replacement as soon as possible.

“We’re very sorry to see him go, we asked him to think about it as he’s a top class bloke both as a physio and a person,” he said.

“He’s been associated with the club for a while so it’s a great shame.

“But he says he can’t commit fully and, as we say to players, if you can’t commit 100 per cent then it’s not a reasonable fit unfortunately.”

“It’s a massive job and one that carries a huge amount of responsibility.

“It would be good if applicants had experience in the professional game or in non league although that’s not a necessity.”

Chairman Bryn Apperley says that everyone at the club is sorry to lose Mullins but he can understand the reasons behind the decision.

“He has been a tremendous servant to this football club,” he said. “To lose him is a big blow, but I understand he has his business to consider in these challenging times plus home commitments. Whoever follows him will have a hard act to follow.”

Interested candidates should contact Phillips on 07710 510720.​​​​​​​