BRADFORD Park Avenue were stunned by Mark Hume’s sudden decision to leave Horsfall Stadium and failed in their attempt to change his mind but he has not cut all of ties with the club.

Finance director Kevin Hainsworth said: “We are very sad to lose Mark as assistant manager and we are going to miss him greatly. He goes with the best wishes of everyone here at the club and he is still working on a club project that we hope to launch further down the line.”

Hume was John Deacey’s trusted No 2 and confidant and the pair remain close friends.

He voiced his intention to leave his post late on Tuesday and it was openly discussed on Wednesday, with the outcome made public on Thursday morning.

Hainsworth added: “We had a long chat with him and he said that he felt the time was right for him to go it alone. If you have ambitions to be a manger in your own right, when is the right time?

“There is never a right time to leave a job and a club that you’re happy at and he felt a little guilty that he was going at a time when we are struggling for points but I assured him that he would never be thought of as having bailed out when the going got tough.

“I know it was time for him to move on. When I went to meet him I was determined to talk him out of it but when I came away I knew it was for the best and it was entirely his decision. It might act as a spur and help to freshen things up for us.

“Mark had been away on holiday for a week, I think he had been at his sister’s wedding, and had a few days to think about what he wanted. He used that time to clear his mind so he could make the decision.”

Hume’s departure will leave a huge void at Deacey’s side but any fears that Bradford might lose their manager as well have been allayed.

The board are fully behind their boss and it is believed that news of the appointment of a new assistant is imminent.

Hainsworth said: “John is going nowhere. John’s record is probably the best in the club’s history and I’m going back to the Football League days when I say that. He is the best, certainly in my lifetime; we have never had a more successful manager.

“Admittedly John’s record has taken a knock in the last month or two but he loves the club and is desperate to turn things around. This is not the dreaded vote of confidence but he has the full backing of the board.

“Our priority right now is to press on and get back up the league table by getting results on the pitch. John is considering who to bring in and we will do what we can to get him his man.”