Watford Supporters Trust have expressed their disappointment at Mark Ashton's tenure after the former chief executive left last week.

In a statement released by the trust, they highlighted the failure to develop the East Stand as their greatest concern during Ashton's reign at Watford.

The Trust said: "We are concerned that the club has failed to find the funds to develop the Main Stand. This is particularly disappointing given that Mark gave verbal assurances on several occasions that there was a robust business case for the development that stood up regardless of the division in which the team was playing.

"Despite repeated requests, we were never shown the business case and told that we simply had to 'trust him'. Whilst we accept that the current economic climate has not helped matters, we have had an unexpected journey to the Premiership and some of the revenue gained should have been put aside for the Main Stand development. A phenomenal opportunity has been lost.

"In addition his reign has been littered with relationship breakdowns, repeatedly with the Watford Observer and frequently with former employees.

"The turnover of staff in senior positions was not indicative of a well-run organisation. There was also a lack of transparency in communication with the fans that has led to an atmosphere of mistrust.

"This has been extremely disappointing and we believe it should not be the Watford way. We sincerely hope that the new era will herald a return to the family ways that we have historically been famous for and have rejoiced in."

But he was praised for introducing Aidy Boothroyd to the club and for a number of commercial and player deals.

The statement added: "On the plus side, he has successfully negotiated some excellent deals for the club, in particular with regards to the Ashley Young sale to Aston Villa and with commercial sponsorship deals such as with Beko.

"He also introduced Adrian Boothroyd to Watford FC, which resulted in the club’s unexpected promotion to the Premiership."