Bury St Edmunds’ Performance Director, Terry Sands, is very hopeful of having a new head coach in place at The Haberden in the “next seven to 10 days.”

East Anglian Daily Times: Terry Sands, Bury St Edmunds' Performance Director. Picture: STEVE WALLERTerry Sands, Bury St Edmunds' Performance Director. Picture: STEVE WALLER (Image: � Stephen Waller)

The West Suffolk club made the difficult, but necessary decision, to release Director of Rugby Jon Curry due to financial reasons at the end of last week, prior to last weekend’s 22-36 home defeat to Worthing Raiders.

A club statement cited a reduced income from ‘our established Community Coaching programme’ as the reason for a need to restructure the coaching/management side of the club, which had put ‘unexpected pressure on our Pro-Am budget.’

Speaking tnis morning, Sands explained: “It all comes down to finances, but we are looking for a replacement for Jon (Curry). There is a chance that we could have someone in place within the next seven to 10 days. In fact, I am very hopeful of that happening.

“I’m currently talking to someone about coming over to be our head coach for the rest of the 2018-19 season.

East Anglian Daily Times: Jon Curry, who left his post as Director of Rugby at Bury St Edmunds last week, due to a shortfall of funding.Jon Curry, who left his post as Director of Rugby at Bury St Edmunds last week, due to a shortfall of funding. (Image: Archant)

“As everyone knows, we have a fantastic set-up at Bury, and we are the premier club throughout Norfolk and Suffolk. We are also lucky to have a man of (coach) Kevin Maggs’ standing, with 70 caps for Ireland, coming to and from Bristol to help us out to take charge on match-days.

“We also have Andy Herlihy doing the forwards’ coaching and Craig Burrows the backs.

“Obviously our short-term goal is to stay in National League Two South. That is where we think we belong,” added Sands.

- Bury lose to Worthing after Jon Curry departs

With regards the decision to part company with Curry, and the club’s financial situation, Sands said: “It’s obviously not a decision that we have taken lightly, but it was necessary. We have to cut our cloth accordingly, after we lost some of the community work.

“Our model, with Jon Curry as Director of Rugby, and Ross Finlay as Pro-Am general manager, was based on that funding from our community coaching.

“But we lost Culford School, West Suffolk College and Framlingham College, who have all decided to appoint in-house with no external resources.

“We had contracts with these schools last year, but we don’t have them this year, although we are still very active in the community, and continue to be.”