CHAIRMAN Les Scadding has blasted manager Justin Edinburgh for the manner of his departure from Rodney Parade.

In an exclusive interview with Argus Sport, Scadding reveals his disappointment at the manner of Edinburgh’s exit to League One outfit Gillingham.

Speaking after unveiling Terry Butcher as the club’s new manager, Scadding opted to lift the lid on his feelings about Edinburgh, despite not being prompted by the media.

“Hand on my heart, I have to say it, I have to be honest, I thought what Justin did, he shouldn’t have done it like that,” he said.

“It took a lot of respect away that I have in the man.

“I did a lot for him, supported him 100%. For him to leave the way he did, does make me lose some respect for him.

“He didn’t break the news to me, I didn’t know much until I get an email from Howard and that again I took as an insult. He didn’t ring me, I wasn’t very pleased.

“The team spirit actually dropped out of sight for a short period after Justin left.

“I think there was a lot of respect for Justin from the dressing room and that didn’t help the club, the teams, the players and certainly the supporters. The momentum in the club stopped.

“The four losses of that period were the defining factor in us not getting in the play-offs.

“I take my hat off to Jimmy Dack, he conducted himself brilliantly and has been a credit to the club, the way he has handled himself.

“We couldn’t have asked for more from Jimmy. He deserves a huge pat on the back, we are highest we’ve ever been, a fantastic achievement.

“But I think Terry Butcher is definitely the best man for the job and the right man to put this club back on the map.”

Scadding believes the Exiles are improving off the field, but feels they made mistakes in their first season back in the Football League.

“I think that we have had ups and downs, but since I’ve been with the club, for that period, this club has had a fantastic turnaround,” he said.

“It isn’t all down to me, but we’ve done things that wouldn’t have happened without the guys on and off pitch doing their jobs so well.

“And if we keep working at it, we think the club can keep growing and getting better and better. Newport County AFC aren’t a Mickey Mouse club we’ve proved that to a lot of people, we are professional on and off the pitch.

“I will hold my hands up to the fact we didn’t always do it right last season and others would hold their hands up and do the same.

“We had some issues we didn’t get right, some things we needed to put in place that we didn’t. We are talking about things like contracts, how we did this, how we did that and on some issues, we got it completely wrong.

“It is water under the bridge, but we made mistakes, things we got wrong, agreements we made we shouldn’t have. We’re strong enough to admit it and say, it won’t happen again.”

The Argus contacted Edinburgh for a reply, but he opted not to comment.