Former Newcastle United Women's boss Becky Langley has broken her silence after her exit from St James' Park last month.

Langley guided Newcastle from a shoestring outfit in the lower leagues to the second tier of the women's game and there were tears at St James' from some insiders when it was announced she had 'parted ways' with the club.

But in a statement, Langley said: "I would like to thank the senior management team for giving me the opportunity to manage Newcastle United Women’s Football Club over the past six years. The experiences and memories will stay with me for a lifetime.

"A major summer of recruitment, along with significant facility improvements, brought many transitions to navigate. We put in considerable effort to build on last season’s excellent fifth-place finish, but early results this season did not reflect the quality of our performances.

"It will take time for the players and staff to fully bond and settle within this new team environment, and I am confident that results will improve as the season goes on.

"My thanks go out to the dedicated and talented staff and players within the squad,...