MONMOUTH Town manager Andrew Smith has paid tribute to outgoing chairman Lee Robson, who is to step down at the end of the month after 10 years in the role.

Robson, regarded as the off-the-field driving force behind the Kingfishers’ remarkable rise from being a modest Gwent County League club to becoming Welsh League champions, is moving to live and work in Norwich.

“Lee will leave a massive hole when he leaves having worked tirelessly throughout his tenure and nobody can argue with what he has achieved for both the town and this football club,” remarked former Newport County midfielder Smith.

“To take credit for getting the club from where it was to where it is now is fully deserved and, hopefully, he can now spend more time with his wife, who has come second to football for many years.

“Many people believe this club has spent big to get where it is, but we really haven’t. He certainly leaves a great legacy and now is the time for someone to fill his huge boots.”

Robson’s departure is bound to felt by the 2013-2014 Division One title winners, who lifted the Gwent Senior Cup for the first time in 75 years last season.

Robson took over for the 2005-06 campaign, when Monmouth were in Division Two of the Gwent County League, and he and Smith targeted a Welsh League spot within five years.

They achieved it with three years to spare following a Division Two title and a Division One runners-up spot - securing the single Gwent place as champions Newport Civil Service failed the ground criteria.

Nick Oxford replaced Smith and later Barry Burns and Robin Pick were joint managers as Monmouth secured all three Welsh League divisional titles between 2011 and 2014.

The latter was with former Newport County and Wales defender Steve Jenkins as boss before his assistant Smith returned role at the start of last season, when there was an ill-fated to move to Abergavenny’s Pen-Y-Pound Stadium as Monmouth tried to reach the Welsh Premier League.

Robson leaves a well-respected club with still six players from their Gwent County League days and which won the Gwent Club of the Year accolade in 2014.

It also has the largest junior section in south Wales and an academy which provides a ready supply of young players.

“I’m very proud of our achievements and the contribution we have made to Gwent and Welsh football,” stated Robson.

“What we have achieved is no accident, but by having a clear view of what we wanted to do, who we wanted to be and going for it, I hope we’ve made some friends along the way and have shown people what is possible.”

Monmouth are next in league action at home to Garden Village on Saturday (2pm kick off).