EX-Hampshire cricketer Adi Aymes has followed Mark Dennis out of the door of Southern League outfit Fleet Town.

The wicket-keeper, now playing Saturday cricket for Hursley Park in the Southern Electric Premier League, said it was "geographically not possible" to continue at the Calthorpe Park helm next season.

Along with Dennis, Aymes rescued Fleet from near-certain relegation from the Dr Martens Eastern Division last season, working with only a shoestring budget.

With no prospect of more money available to improve the team next season, ex-Saint Dennis has accepted an invitation to join go-ahead Southern League newcomers Eastleigh as director of football.

Aymes, as yet, has no new club lined up, but the 39-year-old has not ruled out a return to football next term. He said: "Nothing's final, but watch this space with interest!"

Like Dennis, Aymes went to Fleet as a favour to Calthorpe Park chairman Martin Griffiths, who he knew well through his cricketing links.

He said: "We went there to do a favour for a friend. We took on mission impossible and it finished up as mission accomplished by keeping the club in the Southern League.

"The icing on the cake was winning the Russell Cotes Cup, which was a lovely way to end our time there. I'd like to thank the Fleet players who played to the top of their form and were a credit to themselves."

Dennis, who the Daily Echo revealed in later editions yesterday has joined Paul Doswell and David Hughes in a three-pronged management team at Eastleigh, said the hardest job of all was breaking the news of his departure to the Fleet players

He said: "I was almost in tears talking to people like our skipper Rob Marshall, John Murphy and Wayne Noad, who are all great players earning only between £30-£40 a week.

"I asked for a decent budget, but Fleet said they didn't have the money and couldn't raise it, which I found amazing. Mark Chamberlain (former England player) said that very few of the better Wessex League sides could have survived on the money Fleet were paying.

"I'd taken the club as far as I could."

Dennis, who will also oversee Eastleigh's youth development, is not the only new addition to the Ten Acres backroom staff. The Wessex champions are also signing AFC Totton's experienced goalkeeper Wayne Shaw, both as cover for first-choice No1 Colin Matthews and as goalkeeping coach.

Former Saints, Torquay United and Weymouth left-back Ryan Ashford has become the club's sixth close-season signing and next in will be another former Saint, midfielder Kevin Gibbens, from Basingstoke Town.

Player/assistant manager Chris White and goalkeeper Adam Gage have been released and Andover, Wimborne and Newbury head the queue to sign Eastleigh's transfer-listed midfielder Jimmy Anderson.

l Wessex League promotion hopefuls Gosport Borough have pulled off a major coup by signing former Saints striker Paul Moody.

The 6ft 3in front man's physical presence has bagged him in excess of 120 goals in 324 professional appearances, which have also taken him to Oxford United, Fulham and Millwall.

Portsmouth-born Moody began his career with Southern League outfit Waterlooville in the early '90s and was snapped up by Saints for £50,000, kicking off a three-year stint at The Dell.

Last season, he played for Aldershot Town in the Ryman Premier Division before being released in February.

Borough boss Mick Marsh is hoping Moody will combine with last season's WL top scorer Neil Scammell to propel Gosport towards the championship.