by Matt Panting

Former Tonbridge striker Carl Rook has paid a glowing tribute to manager Tommy Warrilow after leaving the club for Dartford this week.

Angels had to cash in on their prized asset, who still had 18 months left to run on his Longmead deal, this week.

Rook’s move to Dartford for an undisclosed fee ends a four-year partnership of working with Warrilow, who also signed him at his former club Horsham.

"Tommy has been a big influence on my career and he is more of a mate now," said Rook, pictured. "He took me off the bench at Dover and he always reminds me of that.

"We got promoted at Horsham and it’s gone on from there. It’s down to his coaching and he knows when to put his arm around me and when to give me a rollocking.

"We were both sad as we were so used to working with each other but Tommy will be the first one I ring up if things don’t work out at Dartford."

Rook admits his form this season has fallen below his usual high standards.

He said: "This year I’ve been bang-average. But everyone has a dip in form. For the last four years I’ve been seven out of 10 most weeks, this year I’ve been five or six out of 10."

The 26-year-old attracted the interest of Woking in the summer and Dover were interested in him last season. He then turned down Farnborough last week, opting instead to join Dartford.

Meanwhile Warrilow has vowed to battle on despite the loss of Rook.

He said: "We are not going to feel sorry for ourselves and I won’t drop my expectation levels."

He added: "I didn’t want Carl to leave and I hope he will go on and fulfill his potential. He has been great for us and will be missed.

"It’s not nice losing your best players. It’s certainly not ideal but it’s the way it is at the moment, due to the lack of football in the past few weeks."

Lee Minshull and Kirk Watts return from suspension as Tonbridge host Tooting on Saturday.