Bromley cash carrot seals Carew signing (From Daily Echo)

Bromley cash carrot seals Carew signing

4:57pm Tuesday 23rd June 2009 in

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ASHLEY Carew has parted company with Eastleigh – because the club refused to bow to his demands for payment during the summer.

The 23-year-old wideman, a virtual ever-present for the Spitfires after joining them on loan from Barnet in January, has switched camps to Blue Square South rivals Bromley.

Having parted company with League Two Barnet at the beginning of March by mutual consent, Carew, pictured below, agreed to see out the season with Eastleigh as they homed in on the BS South play-offs.

It is understood he verbally agreed terms for 2009/10 after the final game of the league season at Havant & Waterlooville but later asked Eastleigh to review their offer – a request the club considered “inappropriate.”

Admitting Carew’s Uturn had come as a “surprise”, manager Ian Baird said: “We agreed a deal after the Havant game, but then Ashley came back to us and said he would still sign but only if we would pay him though the summer and we weren’t prepared to do that.

“Bromley were prepared to and they’re paying him more money than we can offer.

“It’s up to him. He had plenty of time to go and get himself a job to earn money over the summer, but he didn’t.

“We’ll miss him, but at the end of the day we didn’t get promoted and he was part of that squad.

“If he feels he can do better elsewhere, so be it.

“For the sake of a couple of grand he’s sold his soul to Bromley which is a pity because I genuinely felt that if he’d stayed with us, he could have got a move higher.

“The proof is in the pudding.

Young Aaron Martin and Brett Williams have come to the forefront of the first team and when you look at Mark Marshall (Swindon Town) and Damian Scannell (Southend United), I told them both that if they kept working hard and playing well for Eastleigh they would get their moves into the Football League and they did.

“But in this day and age, players have agents talking in their ears even at our level and what some of them seem to forget is that they have to play too.”

Eastleigh are on the lookout for a replacement for Carew but, in the meantime, they have broadened their options on the left by bringing popular full-back Ian Oliver back to the club following his release by Farnborough.

Although the Southampton-born former Swindon Town trainee left the Silverlake shortly after Baird had taken the managerial reins, the Eastleigh boss has always been an admirer of the 23-year-old.

“When I arrived Ian had more or less left the club.

He was a victim of circumstance.

We had to get rid of certain players to bring certain players in, so I didn’t stop it,” said Baird. “But I’ve always liked him. When he played against us back in my days in charge of Havant, he always did well. He’s the right age too at 23.”

Eastleigh have a number of trialists joining them for pre-season including promising, young midfielder Carl Preston from AFC Bournemouth.

Preston made two appearances for the Cherries last season and enjoyed a successful loan spell with Sydenhams Wessex League champions Poole Town.

Eastleigh’s director of football David Malone said: “Carl comes highly recommended by the AFC coaching staff.

“It is particularly encouraging that Carl has chosen to come to Eastleigh, having had interest from Salisbury City, Weymouth and several other prominent non- League clubs. We look forward to seeing him play.”