Needham Market manager Mark Morsley leads his team out for the final time this evening and has no regrets doing so.

The former Leiston and AFC Sudbury boss announced last month that he would be relinquishing the first-team manager’s role to concentrate more on his business outside football, but will remain with the Marketmen and oversee the development of all aspects of the club, from youth to senior level, in a chairman’s role.

He will hope to finish his career on a high, with victory over Lowestoft in tonight’s Premier Cup final, but even if the outcome is not a positive one, he won’t be tempted to change his mind.

“No, not at all,” said Morsley, .

“Although I maybe can’t answer that question now. If you ask me two months into next season, if things are going really well or really badly, then I might think ‘what if?’

“But now is the right time for me and the football club.”

Morsley will be replaced by current assistant manager Richard Wilkins.

“I think he is the most successful manager and the best manager in this region and why he is not at a professional club is beyond me,” he added

“Perhaps he chose not to go down that route, but it’s a bugbear of mine that there are many good non-league managers that are never given a chance at pro level.”

He added: “It was the right thing to do, we have got Tom Rothery, who was formerly with Brightlingsea, who is a very good coach, Nathan Munson is staying as goalkeeping coach and we have a new physio coming in next season, so the management team is strong and the (first-team) squad is in a good place, they’re young with a good average age.”

Morsley has been a general manager before at Needham, when Danny Laws was boss, but spent much of his time in the dugout.

That won’t be the case this time.

“My business is expanding which is good and that is my priority,” explained Morsley.

“It won’t be a traditional chairman’s role, I won’t spend all my time telling people how successful I was in the past.

“I will be a sounding board for Wilks (Wilkins) and his staff and Steve Foley and the academy.

“A big part of the job is to push forward ‘Brand Needham’.”