SACKED Selby Town boss Dave Heard says a row over travelling expenses brought his Flaxley Road reign to a close after just 16 games.

The Robins’ committee replaced the former Haxby United manager with ex-Yorkshire Amateur chief Graham Hodder on Wednesday following a spell in charge which brought just seven points from a possible 45 and sees them bottom of the Northern Counties East League premier division.

Hodder, whose tenure begins at home against Liversedge on Monday, becomes the third man in the Selby hot-seat this season after Leon Sewell was sacked in September on the back of a poor start to the campaign.

Club secretary Tommy Arkley said the decision to relieve Heard of his post was “not ideal” but necessary, claiming it had “got to the stage where some players were refusing to turn up if he was in charge”.

But Heard replied it was the cash-strapped club’s expenses policy, payments to players for travelling to matches and to get to training, that was at the heart of the problems.

“We had a bit of a disagreement,” said Heard.

“We were very short of players on Boxing Day (when losing 3-0 at Pickering) and we managed to get 11 scrambled together. They haven’t been paid anything and they weren’t prepared to travel and not get it back.

“The agreement was we would get expenses and we haven’t had them for weeks and weeks. I had players lined up and it has got around that lads aren’t getting expenses. I had some ex-Harrogate Railway lads and they said they wouldn’t come because they can’t afford the petrol.

“My lads that play have been getting a bit downhearted with it all. Of course, the tail wags the dog. There were one or two players that aren’t as good as they think they are. You drop them and they don’t like it. They try to interfere too much but I do what I do and if they don’t like it, tough.

“I have got irons in the fire. I won’t be too upset. I don’t think they (Selby) have got the ambition. They make all the right noises but they don’t do anything to put it in.”

Arkley said Heard was well aware of Selby’s financial position when he joined the club and said expenses had been paid as and when they could be.

On the former manager’s performance, he added that it “just wasn’t working”.

“We are trying our best to keep the club afloat,” he said. “We have been monitoring the situation and handing him money to pay expenses as and when we could. He hasn’t come with any specific demands for amounts but has been quite happy to go along as we have been doing.

“We had nothing in writing, it has all been verbal. We have paid out what we can and we made that point clear when we took him on. Graham has been made aware of that as well and is prepared to work with us.

“At the end of the day, we have got other debts to pay and, as far as we were aware, no player has come to us.”

Arkley continued: “It is not ideal (to have a new manager). He started off well but seems to have lost some good players and it was getting to the stage where some players were refusing to turn up if he was in charge.

“It was not player-power but the writing was on the wall.

“We are at the bottom but we still have a chance to get out of it. There are some poor teams in this league and we don’t think we are the worst by any shape or form.

“Graham is confident that he has got a lot of contacts that can come in and do a job and he is not phased by the situation at all.

“He gives out a good aura. He’s got a five-year plan for the club and, even if we get relegated, he has got plans in place for next season. We have definitely made him aware we are struggling for money.”