Dover boss Mitch Brundle has apologised to fans after their player-of-the-year moved on - weeks after it was announced he would be staying.

The shock news that Myles Judd was joining league rivals Hemel Hempstead Town came halfway through Dover Athletic’s game against Gillingham - just a week after a similar blow for the club when Ademola Shokunbi snubbed them for Dulwich Hamlet.

On June 13, Dover announced Judd would be returning for another season, saying it was “a sign we are heading in the right direction again.”

Brundle had spent the summer convincing their player-of-the-year it was the right move.

Brundle thought he was their man and spoke of his delight at getting him back, but midway through his team’s pre-season friendly against Gillingham on Saturday, their league rivals Hemel announced on Twitter that he had committed to them for the fortcoming season.

It’s the second blow in just a couple of days for Dover after Shokunbi moved to Dulwich Hamlet, shortly after it was announced that he too would be signing on at Crabble.

Following the latest blow, Brundle accepted the responsibility was down to him, and apologised to fans.

“Juddy gave me his word,” said the Whites boss after their 4-0 loss to the Gills on Saturday.

“I take full responsibility, I put a trust in a mate and a friend who I played with and that’s not reciprocated, so I have to learn from that and I will, being a young manager. As long as you learn from those things.

“All I can do is apologise on behalf of myself because I take full responsibility for it.

“He wanted it to be announced, for reasons that were personal, but you learn, loyalty in football doesn’t last these days I’m afraid.

“I wish him all the best, he’s still a great kid. We helped him as a football club and that has not been reciprocated.

“He obviously wants to be closer to home or something like that, there are nitty gritty bits about it which I don’t need to go into, but what my aim now is to replace him which I believe I can do.”

On Wednesday, the club issued a statement from boss Brundle after Shokunbi was announced as a Dulwich player. The club had welcomed Ade to Dover through social media on June 9.

They said last week: “Following the news of Ade Shokunbi, we had agreed in principal and the forms were signed prior to submitting to the league.

“He missed our first training session with no communication as to why. He then failed to attend our first game against Aylesford.

“These are not the type of players the fans deserve or we want at this football club.

“I understand the frustrations at this but we are looking at people who will run through a brick wall, which is what you deserve.”

A further Twitter post from the club, which got plenty of reaction, had said: “We look forward to announcing payers who actually want to play for the club.”

Brundle included numerous trial players on Saturday in their friendly match against the Gills, losing 4-0.

He said: “That was a real good test and that is the whole point of these exercises, playing against a team that have got two fantastic squads, we thought we dealt with it well, there were a lot of trialists in there that we are looking at, some did well.

“It was a brilliant work-out, great for the fitness for those who have already signed and good for the boys who we are looking at for fitness as well.

“We look at the goals, look at how the shape is looking, how we are looking on the ball and there is still lots to work on but that’s our first real test and still two teams doing 45, there were a lot of changes of personnel, trying to get your message across to all of them with a lot of trialists.”