EASTLEIGH boss Richard Hill has hit out at Mitchell Nelson after the former AFC Bournemouth defender announced on Twitter that he was leaving the Spitfires.

Less than an hour after the 23-year-old right-back had asked for a couple of days to mull over the Spitfires’ offer of a new contract, Mitchell tweeted to the world that he was “officially a free agent” and thanked everyone at the club, wishing them all the best.

Hill, who had driven to Beaconsfield Services to meet the player face-to-face on Wednesday evening, knew nothing of Nelson’s tweet until his son rang to tell him on his way home.

He said: “At 9.15pm on Wednesday I offered Mitchell a new deal and he asked for a couple of days to think about it.

“Yet at 10pm he posted on Twitter that he was a free agent and I’m personally disappointed that Mitchell’s led everyone to believe he’s been released by the club when in fact he was offered a new contract.

“It would have been easy for me to have phoned the players whose contacts were up, but I didn’t.

“I did it professionally and spoke to them face to face.

“I’ve driven over the south of England to do things properly, but Mitchell’s put stuff on Twitter before confirming to me one way or another if he’s accepted the offer.

“If he wishes to post on Twitter he could at least have the decency to tell me first.

“If he wasn’t happy with the deal he’d been offered, he had every opportunity to tell me before posting that tweet.”

Eastleigh wiped out a 3-1 first-leg deficit in the Blue Square Bet South play-off semi-final to level matters 3-3 at Dover Athletic last Saturday. But the afternoon ended in penalty shootout heartbreak, wrecking their hopes of delivering Conference National football to the Silverlake next term.

Nelson gave it his all on the day, but Hill has it on good authority that he had already spoken to BSB South rivals Sutton United.

“Two separate managers from this league, whose information I trust, made me aware that Mitchell had had talks with Sutton prior to Saturday’s game,” he claimed.

Eastleigh have also offered new deals to left-back Michael Green and wideman Dale Binns – the latter on the proviso that he can do daytime training.

But it’s the end of the road for Andy Forbes, Lee Peacock and Mark Hughes, who have been released after coming to the end of their contracts.

For Forbes – Eastleigh’s longest serving player - it marks the end of his second spell at the club. Having top-scored in his first four seasons after signing from Winchester City in 2004, he returned primarily as a defender in July 2011 after spells with Woking and Sutton.

Ex-Manchester City striker Peacock has had an injury-hit stay since signing from Havant & Waterlooville in March last year, while ex-Barnet skipper and Northern Ireland international midfielder Hughes has had just one season with the club.

Reserve team prospects DJ Whittaker, Ryan Holloway and Joe Chamberlain have also been released, but Eastleigh have a offered a contract to young goalkeeper Tom Coffey.