Garry Sansbury is stepping down as first team manager at Castletown Football Club after a quarter of a century in the hotseat.

He made the announcement the day after seeing his side in action in the final of the Paul Henry Gold Cup on Saturday afternoon – see full report and photos on pages 46 and 47 of this edition.

Speaking of his decision to step down, Sansbury said: ‘It is with pride, many thanks and a bit of sadness that I am officially standing down as first team manager after many years - two life sentences!

‘Rather than name individuals, I would like to thank all the committees, players both old and new, and all the coaches who have been with us down the years.

‘Also a mention to the junior coaches who give up their weekends – the club is in good hands and I take my hat off to you, especially with our winters!

‘Castletown is not just a football club but a community with many good people within it and I’m sure the future is bright.

‘Finally, on average we will all spend about 4000 weeks on our little rock and, whether it’s in work or sport, all you can do is go out and do your best - nobody can take that away from you - but just as important: make sure you enjoy it all.’

A Castletown MFC spokesperson paid tribute to the outgoing manager, saying: ‘On behalf of the club, we would like to thank Garry for his time, dedication and hard work that's been put in over the past 25 years as first team manager.

‘As the longest serving manager in the club’s history, through many ups and downs, his commitment to the side should be applauded.

‘A benchmark for the next candidate to follow...’