MATT Ford has confirmed he was offered the acting Cherries chairmanship but declined the invitation because he felt he wasn't the right man for the temporary role.

The Pirates chief also revealed he had already handed in his written resignation before Abdul Jaffer had resigned as AFC Bournemouth chairman last month.

Ford, who admitted he left Dean Court on the same day Jaffer quit as top man, had become a director of the club six months before at the invitation of the Kenyan-born Dorset businessman, who also has strong links with the speedway club.

He was brought in to the Fitness First Stadium regime to help the financially strapped League One outfit with his "media expertise" and extensive list of business contacts.

But it became clear last week that Ford had left Cherries in an official capacity following a statement from the club, now led by Jeff Mostyn and Steve Sly, that the previous board had been "dissolved".

When asked by the Echo if he had been targeted for the chairmanship, Ford said: "When Abdul resigned I was asked if I would become acting chairman for the six week period up until the EGM last week.

"But I truly felt that the club would be in a better position being looked after by Laurence Jones, the chief executive, whose fingers are constantly on the pulse, who knows so much more about the club than me and who I rate highly.

"So while I was honoured that the board members would suggest having me as acting chairman for a very short period of time, I had to decline immediately, especially as I knew that Laurence was in a far better position than myself to make immediate decisions concerning the club."

Ford, who has remained silent on the issue in public until now, added: "On a personal basis, I had taken the decision to step down a couple of months ago when it became blatantly clear that I couldn't give the Cherries the time it warranted.

"I had already written my letter of resignation before Abdul resigned and Abdul was fully aware of my decision, which was purely based on the time required that I could give to the club.

"It was in the best interests of the club to have stability at the time and because of that it was agreed my decision would not be made public until the EGM.

"There were only two locally-based members of the board at the time, myself and Peter Schofield, who were present at the board meeting when Abdul resigned.

"The other director, Phil Hordle, lives abroad, so the decision not to say anything at the time was taken for stability reasons."