Cheltenham manager Darrell Clarke says their relegation to League Two on the final day of the season is “gut-wrenching” for the club.
Clarke was appointed in September with the sole aim of keeping the Robins in League One after they got off to the worst start to a season in EFL history by not scoring in their first 11 games.
They were looking to pull off a great escape on the final day of the campaign, having been in the bottom four since August. However they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Stevenage and went down two points from safety.
“Gutted for our supporters, gutted for everyone at the football club,” Clarke told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
“To miss out by a couple of points is gut-wrenching but the table doesn’t lie after 46 games.
“The boys have given me everything since I’ve been in the building, since I came to the club, but we just missed out.”
Clarke was unable to confirm if he would be at the club next season said “now was not the time” to discuss his future.
“I need to get me head around this, I’ve given everything I can to try and keep us in League One and I’ve failed to do that by the smallest of margins. I need time to settle and think,” he said.
“I need to speak about what the plan is moving forward and I’m sure them discussions will go further down the line now with the chairman and the stakeholders.”
Clarke has won 12 of his 35 games in charge, picking up an average of 1.22 points per game – a tally that would have seen them finish in 17th place if replicated across the rest of the season.
However, he felt his side were lacking in “quality on a more regular basis”, having previously set a target of 15 wins to secure their safety.
“Heart, desire, application – the boys haven’t left anything out on the pitch that’s for sure,” he said.
“I always say this in life, it’s not how many times you get knocked down it’s how many times you get up. Tough day for the football club but it’s a great club and I’m sure we’ll bounce back.”
