Bashley'S disenchanted, young striker/midfielder Chris Marwood has switched camps to Salisbury City. The Hythe-born lad, 19 last month, turned down a contract at Bashley earlier this season because the New Forest club could not guarantee him a regular game.

Although he studies in the Twickenham area, Marwood (pictured right) has no problem with availability and is ready to chance his arm at Premier Division level.

Once likened to Alan Shearer by Bashley's former manager/director of football Jimmy Case, he has already impressed Salisbury City boss Geoff Butler in training.

"He's only young and green, but he's a big, strong lad and one or two things I've seen suggest he has a lot of promise," said Butler. "The lad approached us and expressed an interest in joining, but my assistant Ricky Haysom already knew of him and his dad, Brian, used to play for Salisbury years ago."

Marwood, who made his Eastern Division debut in January this year, is the second promising youngster to quit the Bash camp in recent weeks, following hot on the heels of Dean Higgins' departure to Bournemouth Poppies.

Those two, along with midfielder Ali Simpson, were offered contracts at the beginning of the season but declined to take them up.

"We couldn't offer them anything too substantial but we didn't want these good young lads being in and out of the team and then the next minute going off to join a Wessex League club," said assistant Bash boss Trevor Senior.

"But because we couldn't promise them regular first-team football, they didn't accept our offer and the last I heard was that Chris and Ali were training with Craig Maskell up at Hampton & Richmond Borough."

Both Marwood and Simpson turned out regularly for Bashley last season when the Foresters' backs were against the wall financially, but the influx of experienced players during the summer has restricted their first-team opportunities.

Bashley mean to hang onto two of their other exciting, young prospects. Wing-back Craig Davis has signed a contract and plans are afoot to get striker Stuart Cooper to put pen to paper.