FANS' favourite Steve Walker has announced he's leaving Salisbury FC.

The centre-half says he has been missing out on regular first team football under boss Steve Claridge - so is resigning.

Walker, 26, has spent four of the last six league games on the bench. Two of the matches - Taunton Town and Evesham United - Walker wasn't involved in the squad due to the injuries picked up in a horrific car crash last month.

Most recently, he was an unused substitute during Salisbury's 3-1 defeat at league leaders Hereford on Saturday - and he was seething.

He posted on Twitter: "16 hour day yesterday to sit on my ass and watch a game of football! #Fuming #sickeningtowatch."

Walker was also a substitute midweek and came on with 30 minutes left when Whites were 5-0 up at Bishops Cleeve, which is how it finished.

Claridge said: “Steve came to see me after the Bishops Cleeve game, enquiring as to why he wasn’t starting and whether he would be first choice in the future. Unfortunately, for him, I was unable to give him the guarantee that he was looking for.

"So he decided, reluctantly, that he would need to go somewhere else to start playing regularly, which I fully understood. In all honesty, I’d have probably done the same thing myself.”

“I think never, at any stage, has it been anything other than amicable, with both sides understanding each other perspectives."

“What I would like to do is say a massive thanks to him for all his efforts over the past 18 months, never at any stage has Steve ever given less than everything for this football club.”

“We wish him well in the future and as far as I’m aware there’s certainly no shortage of clubs interested in his services."

Talking to JournalSport, the 6ft 4inch defender said: "It's heartbreaking, the best club I've played for."

"Unfortunately, I'm not part of Steve's plans and I wasn't going to play unless someone else got injured.

"I've got lots of memories there and Steve Claridge, David Phillips and Micky Jenkins have been incredible.

"It's a massive, massive disappointment and I'm going to miss the fans, who I've got so much respect for."

Walker was one of the first players to pen a deal when the club re-formed at the start of the 2015/16 season.

Previously of Dorchester Town, Walker played 42 games in the club's title-winning season in Sydenhams Wessex Premier, scoring 14 goals.

However, this season he's only played 16 games, 10 in the league and has netted four goals.

His farewell game will take place tomorrow when Whites host fellow promotion-chasers Shortwood United (3pm), but he won't feature in the team.