English FA Cup Final triumph, has resigned as manager of Fourth Division club Hereford United.

And if the Bermuda Football Association wishes to follow up on consensus opinion to hire a full-time national coach, he is free to "jump at the offer.'' Sillett, speaking to The Royal Gazette yesterday from his Coventry home, confirmed that he will be staying on at Hereford until the end of the season -- but player/coach Greg Downs, who was with him at Coventry, will be the new man in charge.

"Upon meeting with the chairman (Peter Hill) I decided that it was time for a younger man to come in and do the job that was needed,'' said Sillett.

"We have a young side that will eventually knit together good and the new man should come in now so that he can know what he needs for the start of next season.'' Bermuda's interest in Sillett is keen as he was responsible for launching the professional careers of Kentoine Jennings and Meshach Wade.

Both are home now as they are required for international duty in the World Cup preliminary round against Haiti, though Wade's participation is unlikely until the second leg in Haiti on May 22 after suffering a knee injury.

Sillett said he is more than pleased with the Bermudians' performance in their debut season with Hereford and added that his resignation should have no effect on their future.

"I expect great things from them next year,'' he said. "Kentoine has shown up well in both the sweeper system and at full-back. He has gotten to grips with the English game and I think he'll develop into a very, very good footballer. I am very pleased with both he and Meshach, who is unfortunately injured.'' Jennings, who returned to Bermuda yesterday afternoon with the national squad after a two-game tour of Jamaica, reacted with shock to the news.

"It's a big disappointment. He was a pretty good manager and fun to be around,'' he said. "I guess he had a lot of expectations but we have a young team and it will take a while for things to come around. It's a real shock.'' Hereford, who started the season with great promise and were as high as second with a superb defensive record, are 15th in the 22-team division after losing 1-0 to lowly York over the weekend.

"I am disappointed that we didn't finish higher,'' said Sillett. "I thought we had a brilliant start, when we were second at one stage, and I felt disappointed in that we should have carried on from that. I was also unhappy with the players' attitudes as we went on. I felt that the interest died.'' Edgar Street was a buzz at the start of the season when Sillett was announced as manager. Expectation was high that he could lead them to a return of the glory days of 1975-76 when the club won promotion to the Second Division as Third Division champions.

It took only two seasons for them to slip back into the lowest division of the English League and they have been there since.

Another consideration in Sillett's decison-making process was the distance he lives from work. "I live 75 miles away from work,'' he said. "That makes my journey 150 miles a day and it became a bit much.'' Sillett explained that he tried to move to Hereford but was unable to sell his property. "The way the market was going at the time it was impossible to sell,'' he added. "I have a fairly large home on 42 acres of land.'' So, now it is time for the ex-Coventry, Wimbledon and Hereford boss to go job hunting. "I still think I'm a good coach,'' said Sillett. "I have a lot of ambition and I still have a lot to offer...perhaps as Bermuda's coach.'' Say what? "The wife and myself both love the island and I'll be only too pleased to jump at the opportunity,'' he said.

Sillett was first here in February/March 1989 with Coventry for matches against Boulevard and English League rivals Middlesbrough, and has been a constant visitor since -- though often behind the scenes.

The call for a full-time national coach heightened when the BFA publicised results of a survey in January that supported the idea.

LEAVING HEREFORD -- Boss John Sillett flanked by his Bermudian signings Meschach Wade and Kentoine Jennings.