John Still walked away from the race to boss City over the fear they were leaving Valley Parade.

The Dagenham chief was in a straight head-to-head duel with Peter Jackson and was interviewed by the board.

But Still dropped out of the running to leave the way clear for Jackson to take the job on a full-time basis.

The pair will lock horns tomorrow when Still brings his Essex side to West Yorkshire. In an exclusive interview with the T&A, he revealed that the summer turmoil surrounding City’s home had made up his mind not to pursue the hot-seat.

He could not get assurances quick enough from the chairmen over where the club would kick off the season.

Still said: “I was interested (in the manager’s job). But there was a little bit of uncertainty at that particular time about where the club was going to play.

“Because that wasn’t sorted in the time frame I wanted, it was something that didn’t go any further. I just felt that perhaps it wasn’t the right time because of that.

“Once we had a conversation, I needed to know the position of the club. And I needed to know within a specific time.

“It never went as far down the road of me considering (the role) because of the time scale involved. It didn’t reach the point where there was a decision to make.”

For full article, see today's T&A