Richard Hill has resigned as Eastleigh manager.

Hill, who has been in charge at the Silverlake Srtadium for three years, made the decision after his side crashed to a 5-2 defeat at home to Dover Athletic last night.

Eastleigh FC released the following statement on the club's official website:

Following a meeting this morning between Richard Hill and Stewart Donald it has been agreed that with immediate effect Richard has resigned from his role as first team manager of Eastleigh FC.

Richard feels that the club would benefit from a fresh outlook and has made the decision solely in the best interests of the club regardless of any personal impact this may have on him.

The club would like to sincerely thank Richard for everything he has achieved for the club in such a short space of time.

He has delivered on every target he has been set and has done so within much tighter constraints than is realised.

He has always acted in the best interests of the club and his actions today further demonstrate his passion for Eastleigh FC and desire for the club to progress.

It is therefore with regret that we have accepted his resignation and will now begin the difficult task of finding a suitable replacement.

Assistant Manager Chris Todd has been placed in charge of first team affairs for this weekends fixture against Wrexham as we begin the next era of the club.

more to follow