BOURNEMOUTH-born Steve Gritt has admitted his disappointment at severing ties with his hometown club following his exit as Cherries ’ chief scout.

Gritt, who started his playing career as an apprentice at Dean Court in the 1970s, has left by mutual agreement after spending 14 months in the post.

He told the Daily Echo: “They have changed the way they are doing their recruitment so there wasn’t really any need for me to be there.

“It was a big thing last year for me to come back to the club where I grew up. I am disappointed it has come to an end like this but life goes on.

“I have lost jobs in the past and, hopefully, I will bounce back. I am looking forward to the next chapter in my career and will just have to wait and see what comes up.

“I am no different to anybody else who loses their job in football and want to get back as soon as possible.”

Gritt, who played 435 times for Charlton, had been responsible for scouting players and compiling team assessments before his position became diluted.

Explaining the club’s decision, chairman Eddie Mitchell said: “We have got analysts on board now and all games are available on DVD. We are trying to build a database from these clips.

“We felt it was impractical to send somebody all over the country to watch games every day when we can get DVDs of games and players.

“It was a role which diminished for us. Whether it is the right way to go remains to be seen but we have got to look at effectiveness and costs.

“Steve was fine about it and it was amicable.”