POOLE Town’s returning hero Marvin Brooks has lifted the lid on his surprise exit from Salisbury, claiming he was not boss Steve Claridge’s “cup of tea”.

Brooks dropped two levels to join the Whites in the summer but this week headed back to the Black Gold Stadium after just five months with the Evo-Stik South West outfit, writes Jack Tanner.

The frontman, who started Poole’s 1-1 draw with Concord Rangers on Tuesday, said he was keen to put behind him his brief stay in Wiltshire and focus his attention on helping the Dolphins climb the National League South.

Brooks’s stop-start spell with Salisbury began with injury and he struggled to adapt to Claridge’s rotation policy, despite enjoying a fruitful scoring run.

Sent off during a 2-0 defeat by Swindon Supermarine in September, Brooks subsequently found himself dropped by Claridge.

“It didn’t start too well. But I did manage to go on a bit of a run and scored seven goals in five games,” said Brooks.

“He decided to rotate the squad, but I wasn’t used to not playing when I was ready to play. With the sending off and suspension, I just couldn’t get back in the team.

“But that’s just managers – I completely understand that. I don’t understand the reasons, but I accept I wasn’t his (Claridge's) cup of tea. But everything was dealt with in a fair way.”

Poole, 18th, hit the road to Eastbourne Borough on Saturday, while third-placed Salisbury visit Barnstaple Town.