Paul Jewell resigned Monday as manager of Wigan, even though the club avoided relegation with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United on the final day of the Premier League season.

Jewell, 42, will be replaced by assistant coach Chris Hutchings.

Paul Jewell left Wigan on Monday.
(Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

"I have made this decision with a heavy heart," Jewell said. "But I feel it is time for me to have a break from football."

"Paul was the right man to carry this club forward," Wigan chairman Dave Whelan stated. "But he has decided that he has taken the club as far as he can and leave it for someone else to take over.

"His honesty has always been a defining aspect of his management. And this decision is exactly that."

Wigan was mired in the third tier when it hired Jewell in June 2001, but he led them to two promotions.

Jewell's tenure proved to be the longest and most successful in the 75-year history of the franchise.

"I have given everything I have, as a person, to bringing success here over the past six years and it is not an easy think to walk away from somewhere and something which has been such a part of your life for so long," said Jewell, who also coached at Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford.

"The intensity of football at the highest level, although completely addictive, is also very draining," he continued. "I feel I would be kidding the chairman, my players and the supporters if I was to carry on."

Hutchings, who has spent the past six seasons as Jewell's assistant with Wigan, managed Bradford for 21 matches in 2000.

"He is one of the best and most knowledgeable coaches in the Premiership, and knows the game inside and out," Whelan said. "I also feel it's important to have someone who understands this club, so that we have continuity."

With files from the Associated Press