IT came as a surprise to many, but Alan Morgan has taken charge of his last game as Llandudno manager.

Regardless of the way he was removed from the position, he can hold his head high after overseeing the most impressive few seasons in the history of the club.

When the former Aberystwyth Town boss took over at the Giant Hospitality Stadium, the beleaguered club were languishing near the foot of the Huws Gray Alliance standings, and five years later they have firmly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the top flight.

That is something Morgan can be immensely proud of, as it is not easy to challenge heavyweights such as New Saints of Oswestry Town, Bala Town and Bangor City, who all have substantially higher wage bills and possess a number of full-time players on their books.

They achieved promotion in fine style after they were crowned HGA champions, and in their first season in the JD Welsh Premier League not only did they avoid relegation, but they also managed to secure European football which provided the club with a huge financial windfall that has provided a much-needed sense of financial security for years to come.

This culminated with a landmark EUROPA League tie against Swedish giants IFK Goteborg, which was the biggest game that Tudno had ever been involved in and a just reward for their efforts under Morgan’s stewardship.

The departing boss addressed the lack of goals within the squad during the summer with the arrivals of Toby Jones, Shaun Cavanagh, Ryan Edwards and Sam Ilesamni, and they looked set for another successful season in the early stages as they found themselves at the WPL summit and were the last remaining unbeaten side in the league thanks to their exceptional start.

A concerning run of four straight defeats followed, but there were definite signs of life in their 1-1 draw at ambitious Connah’s Quay on Saturday before Morgan was shown the door, which sent shockwaves throughout

While uncertainty now surrounds the club, it remains a very attractive job to walk into given the amount of talent within the squad.

Senior figures such as Danny Hughes, Mike Williams and James Joyce will need to ensure that it is business as usual while club officials look for a successor, and a change of coaching style could bring the very best out of a group who have proven they are more than capable of beating anyone on their day.

For Morgan, this will undoubtedly hurt right now but he has the experience and a resume that will guarantee he isn’t of a job for too long.

Football is a cut-throat business these days, and there will be other managers who will be given the chop in the weeks and months ahead, and Morgan will no doubt be on the shortlist for a lot of clubs both in the Welsh pyramid and over in England.

And he leaves Llandudno Football Club in a vastly better position that when he arrived.