Hessenthaler was looking to build a squad for promotion.

Former Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler wanted one last crack at taking the club back to League One next season.

Andy Hessenthaler feels he could have taken his beloved Gillingham back to League One at the third time of asking next season.

The Gills legend cancelled his contract by mutual consent with chairman Paul Scally on Tuesday after a second season of failing to gain promotion. He is currently considering an offer from the club to join the board of directors in a new role, a decision he will make after the weekend.

Today he, with the chairman, is talking to the out of contract players about their future.

He said: “It’s disappointed me because I felt we could have pushed on next season,.

“It’s probably the right timing. You could go into next season and look at it after ten games, wait until Christmas but at least now someone can come in and put their own mark on it, and go from there.

“There’s a good nucleus of a very good squad, we have got some good youngsters coming through, we need to add that to achieve what we have set out to do. Whoever comes in will have my full support.

“I can look myself in a mirror and say I have given everything. It’s a fine line between that success, and I don’t thing the right word is failure, we have just missed out eight place in two years, it’s not a bad season.”

He said he had been humbled by the reaction for fans following the decision.

“I have had a lot of text phone messages, saying thank you and I hope you stay on,” he said. “Its been really humbling, if I don’t stay my heart will always be here,

“I want to see them back in the first division.

“We will see whether I want to stay in management somewhere else we will have to wait and see.”

For more on Hessenthaler’s departure click on the links to the right.