LENNY PIPER has become the latest big name to leave St Albans City in the close season.

The current Player of the Year has agreed a two-year deal with Ryman Premier Division rivals Farnborough Town.

The news will come as a shock to City fans, who have also seen firm favourites Rob Haworth and John Pollard leave Clarence Park this week.

Piper's contract ran out at the end of last season and although City re-engaged his registration, they were unable to negotiate a deal. A tribunal will now settle the transfer fee.

Piper said: 'I wanted to stay at St Albans, but I felt they didn't do enough to show they wanted to keep me.

'I told them what I was looking for and as the season unfolded I was happy to sign a two-year deal with them. Kevin Mudd came back to me saying they would match it, but then all that changed.'

The deal, including bonuses for appearances, goals and victories, would have made Piper the highest-paid player at the club and Mudd felt he had done all he could.

He said: 'I am gutted that Lenny Piper is leaving the club, but I can't see what else we could have done.

'We organised two meetings with Lenny, but he didn't show up, so we gave him a letter via his brother about all the money he would be getting and then we found he is joining Farnborough.

'These negotiations never happen overnight and no-one else was offered a new contract before the end of the season.'

Farnborough are believed to be one of the biggest payers in the Ryman Premier Division, but Piper insists money had little to do with it.

His departure comes after his brother Chris signed a contract and close friend Michael Mison joined from Rushden & Diamonds. Another of his friends, Andy Futcher, is also close to putting pen to paper for next season.

Piper said: 'My leaving is not about money because the deal I am on at Farnborough is not as good as I could have got at St Albans.

'Why would I want to leave? They've just signed my best mate, another of my mates is there and my brother is there. Everyone at the club has been very good to me, especially the supporters.

'They have been absolutely fantastic and I will be gutted when I go back to Clarence Park because I'll probably get booed and I don't want that.

'I also don't want Muddy taking the blame for me leaving, because I would have played for him all day long. I've had my best spell at the club under him.'

Mudd remains sceptical that Piper is not moving for financial reasons and in a week when Pollard and Haworth left for Heybridge Swifts and Dagenham respectively, the City boss is preparing for a fans' backlash.

Piper scooped more than half the votes in the Player of the Season poll, Pollard finished third and Haworth has always been a firm favourite on the terraces.

Mudd said: 'I'm in a no-win situation because I'm losing a quality player. If we offer him more, it takes up the best part of two players' wages and my squad gets smaller.

'If I break the wage structure, where do I stop? We are not Aldershot with crowds of 2,000 and we are not Canvey Island with bags of money.

'If you start paying players what they want you end up like Aylesbury, in receivership and in Division One.'