Paul Hughes and Ritchie Hanlon deserve nothing but praise after resigning as joint Kings Langley managers, says interim boss Paul Hobbs.

The duo decided to end their four year affiliation with the club just a week after Hanlon had described the difficulty of working with an “impossible” budget.

Regardless of any off-field issues they have experienced late in their reign, Hobbs feels three promotions in three years mean they will be remembered fondly at Gaywood Park.

“It is a big loss to the club but that is football,” Hobbs, who previously managed Kings from 2009-2012, explained.

“They have done exceptional work with the club and I don’t think anyone expected them to get three promotions in three years.

“Maybe the latest one came a bit too soon for the club financially, but you can’t have anything but praise for the two boys and what they have done.

“They will have their reasons for wanting to leave and I think they felt it was the right time to move on with their careers.”

The change of management does little to relieve the monetary concerns at a club where playing costs have been slashed by 50 per cent.

Hobbs, who will take charge for two to three weeks while Kings fill the vacant role, is therefore aware of the need to win a potentially lucrative cup tie against Enfield Town next Saturday.

The sides meet in the FA Trophy second qualifying round where £3,250 worth of prize money is up for grabs.

“I have told the club I will only be here for two or three weeks just to let them get themselves sorted so they can get someone in,” Hobbs said.

“My job is to keep the players interested and to continue where Ritchie and Paul left off.

“We have a league game against Dorchester Town and then a big cup game against Enfield which is worth a few quid and important for the club’s finances going forward.”

Hughes and Hanlon did not wait long to embark on the latest challenge in their careers and were announced as joint bosses of Hayes & Yeading United Yesterday.

United Chairman, Tony O’Driscoll, welcomed them to the club and was pleased to have tied two coaches with their track record to the Southern Premier League side.

“We are delighted to have been able to secure the services of Paul and Ritchie, and look forward to them taking the club forward,” he said in a club statement.

“They have an excellent record while at Kings Langley, and we hope they can continue this at Hayes & Yeading United.”

The surprise departures came after Kings booked their place in the second round of the Herts Senior Cup with a 2-1 win over Hertford Town on Monday.

Despite making seven changes, the visitors were good value for their win as Boris Kipeya scored both goals.

The test for the squad now is to show similar form despite the unrest of losing two of the central columns of Kings’ foundations.

Hobbs is aware of the potential for players to become disillusioned but feels the need to impress whoever takes over permanently will prevent this.

“I have told the players to give me and give the club a couple of weeks of work and hopefully we can get some good results in that time,” he said.

“It is difficult because they haven’t been sacked because they have had a bad run of results, so it might have come as a bit of a shock to the players.

“The boys know that they are not only playing for me but for the next manager coming in so it is a bit like they are on trial in some ways.

“You never know who is watching you or who might be coming in, so the players will want to perform well.”