ONE of Hereford FC's most experienced players has revealed his future lies away from Edgar Street.

Central defender Jamie Grimes, who previously had spells at Kidderminster Harriers, Dover Athletic and Cheltenham Town, said he had made the "very tough decision" to leave Hereford.

Bulls manager Josh Gowling said recently that Grimes had caught the attention of other clubs, receiving "good offers" he couldn't match.

"It's been a very tough decision for me but I am leaving Hereford FC," 30-year-old Grimes said on Twitter.

"Thanks to the staff, players and fans.

"We made some great memories and I have no doubt the club will really kick on next season. All the best."

Gowling said last week that he hoped players such as Grimes would look "long-term" when deciding their futures.

After reaching the FA Trophy last season, defender Jamie Grimes and goalkeeper Brandon Hall were two players who caught the attention of other clubs.

Gowling said that while Hereford couldn't match the finances of some other clubs, he wanted them to consider the upward trajectory his side is on.

"There are players like (Jamie) Grimes that have had good offers that we can't match unfortunately," said Gowling.

"Brandon (Hall) has had a few sniffs as well. They are players that have been pivotal to us last season and we just can't match the offers that they've got.

"If they stay it will be down to them wanting to stay and progress with us rather than finances. We want people here that want to be here and believe in the project that we're doing and look long term.

"This football club has loads of potential long term and I just think that players should stick around with us, we're on an upward trajectory and I just think where we could be in a couple of years in exciting.

"We want to keep as many as possible (from last year's squad), ideally I wanted to keep 15 but we'll probably keep about 12 possibly.

"It's important to keep the backbone of our squad, but that comes down to finances. We've got to be innovative with that we do.

"If they go (Grimes and Hall) they're not replaceable but we will replace them. We did it last year, so we will work diligently in the market to ensure that if they do go we find replacements that are adequate and will do a job for us.

"If we keep 12 that's a really good core of the squad anyway and we can look to add seven or eight to the mix.

"The players we are looking to bring in are better than the players that are leaving."