Dolby this week announced he would not be continuing as manager with the main reason for his decision being the strain of a 100-mile plus round trip from his Chislehurst home.

Perhaps not a major surprise because he always refused to discuss his own future beyond the recently concluded season, his departure still comes as a huge blow in light of the excellent job he had done of steering Hastings away from the relegation zone.

Dolby, 34, and assistant manager Mike Rutherford - who is also stepping down - oversaw a return of nine wins from 17 games to lift The U's to a final position of 14th in the Ryman Premier.

"There are a few factors with the main being the travelling," he explained. "Pre-season in particular would be difficult because there is always so much to be done. It's just a hell of a strain and it's best for myself and Mike that we step down."

"It's with a heavy heart that I make this decision because I got really close to the players," he went on. "It's not ideal but the club is better off for me having been there and hopefully they can move forward."

Dolby was appointed in mid-January with the sole task of hauling Hastings out of the relegation mire, and it wasn't until this had been achieved by virtue of a 3-0 win at Leyton on the final day that talks could begin with club chairman Dave Walters.

"I turned up when the club was in dire need of leadership and stability and I provided that," he said. "Everybody worked really hard - the players, backroom staff, the chairman and Mike and myself, and the fans were fantastic.

"I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of returning to Hastings somewhere down the line."

Dolby's good relationship with the players manifested itself on the pitch where a team which had been widely tipped for the drop was installed with the confidence to win a succession of key matches against their relegation rivals. Captain Jimmy Elford stated after the final match of the season: "They made us believe."

Given Dolby's successful stint at The Pilot Field it would hardly be a shock to see him in charge of a club somewhere nearer to his home in the not too distant future.

"I have got nothing planned, I've taken the time from the end of the season till I spoke to Dave to make my mind up," he said. "But if the right job comes up then obviously I'm going to look at it."

Walters said: "It's a shame because I would have liked him to have stayed and the players would have liked him to have stayed but the biggest factor was the travelling. It didn't matter what I tried to say to persuade him.

"I can't speak too highly of the job he and Mike did. When they came in it was a precarious situation and up to the penultimate weekend anyone in the bottom half of the table could have gone down. It was a big ask in many ways but they rose to the challenge. We appreciate the job they did and wish them all the best in the future."

Walters now begins the task of finding a replacement but said: "There is no great hurry because this has happened at the end of the season."

Hastings have announced three pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2008-09 campaign: Saturday August 2 Folkestone Invicta (home) 3pm, Tuesday August 5 Eastbourne Town (home) 7.45pm, Saturday August 9 Chatham Town (away) 3pm.