BARROW AFC chairman Paul Hornby has gone on record to say that the club did not sack former boss Pete Wild.

Wild and the Bluebirds parted ways just over a week ago, a club statement saying: “Following a post-season review Barrow AFC can confirm that it has today parted company with their manager Pete Wild.

“It became apparent during the review that the Club and Pete had different perspectives on the way forward, so it was mutually agreed that this was the best and most appropriate way to proceed.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Cumbria, Hornby admitted that the club had to release the statement which was far from ideal.

He said: “It was a horrible period (the parting with Wild). Tony Shearer (one of the club’s owners) sent me a text from the States and said in 40 years of business he’s never experienced anything like this.

“It was a horrible two weeks, and let’s be honest culminating with a turgid, generic statement which left more questions than answers.

“And that’s how it had to be. It wasn’t a statement that we’d done carte blanche, it was a statement that was agreed with the other side, and we knew that as a board we’d take some heavy criticism when that statement came out.

“I think there are three things we’ve got to say. Firstly, we never sacked Pete. When you sack a manager the process is fairly quick compared to what happened here.

“You pay the termination out in terms of the contract and away you go.

“I’m obviously guarded in what I can say, but I think if you look at our tenure in terms of myself Tony (Shearer), Kristian (Wilkes co-owner) and Frazer (Stewart, Bluebirds Trust representative) we would never make any decision that would detriment the future or longevity of this football club.

“I think you have got to trust us that the process we have gone through.

“Secondly on the back of that I think sometimes you can’t pick the cards that you are dealt, you’ve just got to play the best hand that you’ve got in a certain set of circumstances and I think that’s what we have got here.”