HEREFORD FC have stated that midfielder Eliot Richards made the decision to leave the club following discussions about his future.

A statement on the club’s website said: “Hereford FC can confirm that Eliot Richards has left the club with the midfielder making the decision to leave Edgar Street after two seasons with The Bulls.

“Eliot underwent an operation at the end of last season and has spent the off-season undergoing rehabilitation work with the club. On Thursday, we were pleased to have him back in full training for the first time since his operation.

“Discussions took place with Eliot where it was explained that after the proactive recruitment at Edgar Street in the off-season, the club was not currently in a position to offer any player a deal without being confident that they are fully match fit.

“It was suggested that it would be beneficial for Eliot to play some first-team football elsewhere to help bring him back up to full match fitness as quickly as possible and that once he had returned to full fitness, the club would consider him in our plans moving forward.

“However, Eliot has made the decision to depart and look for a new club. Whilst we are disappointed by this, we fully respect his decision and wish him well for the future.”