LITTLE Oakley assistant boss Paul Sadler is stepping down at the end of the season – and says it’s the right time for a “fresh injection of energy” into the club’s management team.

The 47-year-old is calling it a day at the end of the season after more than 25 years and roughly 750 games as a player and manager with the Memorial Ground side.

He had his last home match in the dugout on Saturday, when the Acorns beat March Town United 2-1.

“I feel the time’s right both for me and the club,” said Sadler, who works alongside first-team boss Sean Tynan.

“When you’re playing at this level, you need a management team with the enthusiasm, drive and energy to push on.

“But if I’m honest, my enthusiasm levels aren’t what they used to be.

“I’ve been doing it a long time and that’s why I feel the time’s right to step aside. I owe it to the club to hold my hands up and say ‘I’ve done all I can’.

“I’ve done my stint and it’s been great, but it’s time to get someone else in – a fresh injection of energy into the management team.

“Hopefully that will help drive the club even further forward.

“But for as long as (chairman) Michael (Good) and Sean are at the helm, I can only see good things for Oakley.

“The club certainly won’t stand still and they’ll do everything in their power to try and get to step five football.

“For local football and the club, that would be absolutely fantastic.

“And if I can do anything to help and contribute, whatever that may be, I’d be happy to do it.”

Sadler (pictured) was a centre-half during his playing days and his first foray into management was with the club’s reserve team.

He then graduated into the first team and, apart from a two-year break, he has been part of the management team ever since.

“I’ve seen so many changes here over the years, on and off the pitch,” he said.

“I never thought it would happen, having floodlights and the facilities we’ve now got. But it’s not something that’s happened overnight.

“It’s been planned for years and so much hard work has gone in, to get us to this point.

“We’ve got a good ethos here and the right mentality but it’s taken time.

“A lot of hard work has gone in.

“When I first started in management, players didn’t train much and they could pick and choose when they came to sessions. But we had a clear out and started afresh.

“The youth side of the club was starting to come together, too, but it took a few years of hard graft to encourage players to play first-team football.”

n Oakley won 3-1 at Team Bury on Wednesday night. Harry Mann scored twice and Lee Barrett once.