ROBBIE Matthews has returned to his Wiltshire roots to become player/assistant manager of Bemerton Heath Harlequins.

The strapping, 6ft 2in striker-turned-central defender is leaving Winchester City to link up with new Bemmy boss Rae Hughes at Western Way.

Hughes, named successor to Graham Kemp at the Sydenhams Premier Division club, will also have long-serving clubman Andy Nash as part of his management team.

Nicknamed ‘Mooncat’, 35-year-old Matthews is a popular figure in the Salisbury area.

He originally came through the old Salisbury City youth and reserve ranks before becoming a prolific Wessex League scorer with Bemerton.

His travels then took him to Eastleigh, from where he trialled for Saints, and then back to Salisbury before spells with Crawley Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Newport County, Forest Green Rovers, Gosport Borough and Hayes & Yeading.

Born and bred in nearby Amesbury, Matthews returned to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium once more to help the reformed Salisbury FC to the 2015/16 Sydenhams Premier title.

He switched camps to Winchester in September last year after an apparent breakdown in communication with Whites boss Steve Claridge.

Matthews wasn't always available for City, however, and missed a spell towards the end of the Southern One South & West campaign for personal reasons.

Discussing his departure from the Denplan City Ground, Winchester boss Craig Davis said: "It was all very amicable.

"We spoke to him as well, but we couldn't really offer Robbie what he was on last year and he took the opportunity to go.

"I get on great with him, but he doesn't so much fit the profile of what we're looking to do.

"Robbie's at the tail-end of his career - and there's nothing wrong with that - but we're going to train really hard, develop players and have a team that grows."

Another of City's central defenders, Jamie Ford, is also on his way out of the club and there are question marks over forwards Howard Neighbour and Joe Briggs who, like Ford, followed Davis's predecessor Ian Saunders across from Petersfield Town.

"Again it was an amicable situation with Jamie," said Davis.

"There were a few issues with Jamie getting to training. I'd like him to have stayed and been a full part of what we're doing but, with the likelihood of the other two lads not being around, he would have had to travel on his own and I don't think he was up for that."

On the plus side Davis has a number of new signings waiting in the wings.

"There's an awful lot of groundwork going into it," he said. "I've got a lot of players excited about signing for Winchester."