Hythe Town chairman Andy Nanda discusses this season’s relegation from the Southern Counties East Premier Division and the issues in non-league football

Hythe Town chairman Andy Nanda believes a culture change is required in non-league football.

Nanda remains committed to the project at Reachfields, despite a bruising first full season in charge.

The Cannons went through three permanent managers - Ira Jackson, Darren Beale and Andy Drury - and used almost 100 players en route to a second successive relegation.

They finished bottom of the Southern Counties East Premier Division, winning only five matches, and will be playing at Step 6 next season - unthinkable for a club who reached the Isthmian South East play-off final only three years ago.

Nanda believes there are problems in non-league football and Hythe have been victims of that in their doomed bid to beat the drop, with so much money in the game.

“The issue, I think, is that non-league football has changed massively, and not just non-league football,” said Nanda.

“The whole structure needs a good shake-up from top to bottom.

“It’s not being run the way it should be run.

“There are non-league clubs paying extortionate amounts to players, who have lost interest in playing football, and they become mercenaries.

“Don’t think they are there to play for the shirt or the badge, and I could see that when I was going to take over Hythe.

“I had my plans and my ideas from day dot, and I never said it was going to be a quick fix.

“It was always going to take four to five years to get things the way I want them.

“I’m still optimistic but until we can create those players who want to play for Hythe, or for any club they’re linked with, it’s going to be the same story.

“People are paying tons of money to all these non-league players to come in and play just to buy success.

“Now, I don’t know if that is the way the club can be