Deren Ibrahim has spoken out about Tony Burman’s decision to drop him during the title run-in last season.

The goalkeeper had to watch from the sidelines after Berti Schotterl was brought in to take his place.

Ibrahim said: “It hurt, especially because I’m at the ground every day.

“All the youth team were like ‘why aren’t you playing’ and I told them ‘I’ve not been good enough’. That was the simple fact of the matter.

“A couple of things came into my game last year that weren’t the standards I expect.

“I know I’m not the biggest so there’s certain parts of the game where I do struggle.

“That’s normal. If I was 6ft 3in maybe things would be different.”

Schotterl joined Woking in the summer and Ibrahim was reinstated as No.1 when Jamie Coyle and Adam Flanagan replaced Burman in the dugout.

“I don’t think I had a point to prove,” he said. “I’ve played enough games for this club for people to see what I’ve done.

“I just enjoy football and last season it was probably the right decision to take me out because we did well (after that). It could happen any time.

“You play every game as your last because you don’t know what’s round the corner in football.

“Something might come up that changes your mind and you might go down a different path.

“I’ve learnt from last year that when you get taken out of the side you see things differently.

“I was the biggest fan last season when I got taken out and it was heart-breaking standing at Bognor.

“I was crying on the side of the pitch because we didn’t go up.”