Former skipper Dave Cook has explained why he quit Hythe Town after seven years to sign for their local rivals Ashford United.

Cook, 29, captained Hythe to the Kent League title in 2011 and he lifted the Kent Senior Cup a year later. The club’s top scorer in four of the last five seasons, he won the Ryman League Golden Boot last season with 27 goals from midfield.

But last Monday’s 3-2 defeat at Hastings proved to be Cook’s (pictured) last game for Hythe.

He said: "It wasn’t an easy decision but I’d fallen out of love with playing there.

"I made a lot of friends there and I’m friends with (manager) Scott Porter but I felt like I was getting a bit stale and I needed a change.

"It’s been a hard year. The new chairman came in and changed things about. He cut Scott’s budget, so we lost important players."

He added: "I spoke to Scott after it all happened and thanked him for my time there. I’m godfather to his children so it was probably the toughest phone call I’ve ever had to make."