MARCO Nott has stepped down as Balti Sports’ manager, ending a remarkable tenure that began in 2006.

Nott’s assistant Chris Hicks, nicknamed ‘Rambo’, has also left his post.

Nott will continue to run the club but has offloaded footballing duties to new joint-managers John Godbold and Rob Marquis, formerly the management duo at Bridport in 2020.

Nott has been associated with Balti since it was known as The Excise House, securing title sponsorship from The Balti House to keep the team afloat.

READ MORE: What happened in Marco Nott's final Balti Sports game in charge?

Promotion to the Dorset Premier League forced a name change to Balti Sports in 2015.

And the club has been largely since run by Nott, who fulfils the secretary role and a multitude of time-consuming matchday tasks on his own, including washing the kit.

Speaking to Echosport, Nott explained his reasoning for stepping down as boss, one year after a radical overhaul of players and coaching staff.

He said: “I did have the bit between my teeth and I thought I’d try and drive it again.

“But we had a non-fulfilment of a fixture, which was embarrassing, and the Holt game (7-0 loss) was a big one for me, last game of the season.

“You’re in the dugout on your own and you just can’t wait for the game to go by.

“Win, lose or draw I just wanted the game over. I should not be in the dugout feeling that way.

“I obviously work extremely hard for the club and you feel sometimes you’re not getting the efforts back.

“I’ve had a long think about it this summer and I’ve tossed and turned. Carry on or Balti folding.

“The club’s been going now for 19 seasons and I don’t want to give it up. I’m still of that mindset.

“I just think it’s time to come out of the dugout. The secretary role, on top of managing, on top of kit-washing, on top of sorting training, the list goes on.

“I’m touching 40 next year and I need to relieve a bit of pressure. I’m just going to take more of a back seat.

“The club’s still well and truly my club and always will be. I’m probably more passionate about it now than I ever have been. I can focus on the off-pitch side.

“I want to try and build some more interest up and get more people watching. It’s time to let someone else do the playing side.”

Nott instinctively knew the time was right to step away when his passion for management waned.

“The problem is, I haven’t got the love for it any more, which is sad to say,” Nott admitted.

“I’ve been burned and scarred a little bit by the younger generation of players these days who are very uncommitted and treat it as a hobby, which infuriates me.

“I’m not giving it my all in the dugout and that rubs off on the committed players. It’s not fair on them.

“I’m pretty exhausted before the game’s started because of everything you’ve got to do pre-match.

“It was time to let someone else come in with more enthusiasm. A fresh face and a change of style will improve the club. It’s a massive weight off my shoulders.

“It’s a win-win all-round.

“I was completely done with coaching. There wasn’t an ounce of me that wanted to do it.

“I just thought (Godbold) has a good resume, the ex-professional and he wants to get young players in.

“If it doesn’t come off, what’s the worst-case scenario? I come back in and see it out, then assess it again next season.

“He wants to come in and prove a point. I’m all for it. If it pays off, it will be a really good move for the future.”

Nott also has previous dealings with Godbold, who helped the goalkeeper with PE coaching at Royal Manor.

Nott also paid tribute to Hicks, adding: “He joined us in our very first season in the DPL.

“His commitment, effort and the way he’s coached and stepped in, we’ve become a double act really.

“Without him, Balti would not have been anything in the last 10 years. He’s stepped up so well.

“What he does behind the scenes, he’s there every week. He’s been through difficult times in his life but always been ever-present.

“If I had 15 Rambos at Balti, we’d have a hell of a successful team. I knew he wasn’t going to carry on due to family commitments and it made my decision easier.

“Everything he stands for is what Balti is. He’s been a huge part and he still will be helping me out. I’ve got a friend for life and we’ve shared some great memories together.”

Nott, aged 20, took charge of his first Excise House game in a cup final against Corfe Castle at Milborne in 2005, answering his managerless team’s call. Nott’s men won 1-0.

But he first needed to locate a batch of team jerseys.

He found a ‘nasty’ reversible navy strip, with red on the inside, in a Newcastle JJB Sports while on a trip to watch his beloved Toon.

“If we hadn’t have won that cup final, I don’t think Balti would’ve formed,” Nott said.

“That’s how mad it is. It was the classic: ‘You’ve got to do it one more year, Marco!’”

And the navy blue colour scheme stuck with Balti through the majority of Nott’s tenure.

Asked for his favourite moments at Balti, Nott picked out a league-winning moment in the 2012/13 Dorset League Division Two season.

He said: “It’s not as recent as I’d like but I’ve won two leagues at Balti and they’re by far the stand-out moments.

“Winning the league on the last day when three local teams (Dorchester Sports and Weymouth Spartans) could win, that will always go down as my favourite.

“We played Spartans and they could’ve won the league if they won. Dorch Sports would’ve won the league if we’d have drawn, it was unbelievable.

“We won 4-1 on the day. All I remember is Adam Billings’ free-kick that rocketed into the top corner. It was euphoria. That will never get beaten.

“We won Div Two, then got into Div One and won that as well, then got automatic promotion from the Senior League, so we got three promotions.”

Nott added: “The only other time after that would be our very first DPL game.

“We played Merley and at that time, the team that came up always played the champions of the year before.

“It was a daunting first fixture on a boiling hot day and we beat them 5-0 away, an unbelievable performance.”