Manager Garry Kimble has been disappointed by the decision of Ryan Charles to depart Witham Town and take a step down into a lower league.

The midfielder has opted to leave the Village Glass Stadium and join Stanway Rovers, who play a level below Witham in the Thurlow Nunn League premier division.

Ahead of his departure, Charles was one of just three members of Witham’s squad who were still at the club from last season and Kimble was disappointed that he had opted to step down.

He said: “Ryan has chosen to go to Stanway and I have to say I’m a bit disappointed by his decision.

“It means we’ve now only got John Watson and Paul White left here from last year’s squad.

“Ryan said that he thought Stanway was a bigger club, but that’s not right and I’m very disappointed.

“We have given him a lot of leeway when he hasn’t been able to train and we’ve allowed him to keep playing.

“He said he needed a fresh challenge but if people don’t want to be at the club then they can go as we can’t afford to have that.

“But with him going down a league, I ask myself: where is the ambition in the lad?”

His departure meant Charles missed Witham’s last two Ryman League division north outings – their 2-2 draw at Heybridge Swifts last weekend that ended a six-game losing run and then their 1-0 midweek defeat by Bury Town at the Village Glass Stadium.

While it was only one point taken from six, Kimble felt it could have been more.

He added: “We are doing alright but just need to be clinical.

“I can’t ask for more from the players as they are giving me everything but Lady Luck just hasn’t been with us. We seem to keep being beaten by just single goals, but you don’t get any points for close defeats.

“When I talk to supporters and the chairman, they keep saying that they know we aren’t far away but the pressure keeps building when you don’t get results.”

Kimble’s side will hope for better fortune when they host fellow division north strugglers Waltham Abbey on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) before a trip to in-form Brightlingsea Regent on Tuesday (kick-off 7.45pm).

While one Ryan has chosen to move on from Witham, though, another has joined for another spell at the club.

Ryan Imbert has joined from Romford and Kimble feels he can provide added physical presence up front for Town.

The Witham boss added: “We know what Ryan can do as he is physically strong and is very mobile. We need players of his calibre.”