FORMER Oxford United chairman Nick Merry, above, has resigned from the club’s board of directors, it was revealed today.

Mr Merry stepped down as chairman last October, allowing Kelvin Thomas to take over at the helm.

A club statement confirmed Mr Merry had now stepped down as a director for personal reasons.

He retains the 50 per cent stake in the club he bought from former chairman Firoz Kassam as part of the consortium Woodstock Partners Limited, which is headed by Ian Lenagan, for £1 in 2006.

Mr Thomas remains the club’s sole director.

The statement said: “The club is looking to strengthen the board and will look to do this in the upcoming months, while also focusing on the continual strengthening of the club on and off the pitch.”

Mr Merry brought in his friend Jim Smith for his second stint as the club’s manager, but the pair could not stop United slipping out of the Football League on the last day of the 2005-6 season.

Attempts to get the club promoted from the Conference the following year were unsuccessful and after narrowly missing out on a play-off spot last season, the U’s face another year in the Blue Square Premier League.

Woodstock-born Mr Merry has supported the club all his life and he played youth football for United in the 1970s before a knee injury prematurely ended his playing career.