match, North Village lost again as Robert Calderon quit as head coach.

Saying that it was in his best interest and the team's Calderon on Monday submitted his resignation to club sports chairman Sherwin Dill.

"I have resigned and I'm sure it wasn't that much of a surprise,'' said Calderon, a former star midfielder for the Red Devils and Bermuda national team captain, who, with reservation, took over the job from Andrew Bascome at the beginning of the season after Bascome had left to take up a similar position at St. David's.

"I reluctantly accepted the position, therefore walking away from it, with all the goings on and difficult experiences, was an easy one.

"I'm sure in some circles it'll be heavily applauded.'' Garrett Dill has been tipped to take over the position after spending the year assisting Calderon.

From the start Calderon found the deck stacked against him. Village had lost 11 players to the transfer market and several more were abroad in school, depleting an already thin squad.

Nevertheless, expectations ran high at the North Shore Club.

These hopes soared even further following an 8-0 walloping of BAA in the season opener.

However, the triumph promised to deceive as this early success unravelled in the face of inconsistent play, injuries and more player unavailability, especially that of leading scorer Dennis Robinson.

The situation deteriorated to such a point that aged veterans Eugene Simmons and Danny Rogers became primary options off the bench.

On November 20 Village stood second after six games, a mere point behind Dandy Town with four wins to their credit and appeared to be bonafide title contenders.

From this point they tumbled in the league and were eliminated from all cup competitions.

In the end they still managed to finish fourth, but in reality it was clear that these Red Devils were a far cry from those of old, when the likes of Ralph Bean, Joe Trott and Dill ran rampant, striking fear in the hearts of opponents.

Barely mediocre, they struggled at home, losing to the likes of perennial also rans Devonshire Cougars and St. George's and were no match for the big clubs.

Calderon became a favoured target for fans seeking a scapegoat, but his hands were tied by limited resources.

"To the trained eye or the rational fan it had to be obvious the reason why we had the problems we did,'' explained Calderon, taking direct aim at those who would blame him. "To discuss those problems is akin to flogging a dead horse. People that are rational will understand, however, they are in the minority.'' Asked whether he would be interested in taking up with another club Calderon answered in the negative, saying: "At this point I have no great desire to be involved in any First Division team and that could be a mutual thing.

"And if a team truly has a desire to come to the First Division I might not be the person to get them there.'' Still, he expressed an interest in coaching on the national level, but added: "It all boils down to whether there is an interest in Robert Calderon.''