Andy Swallow hits out at lack of protection for non-league clubs as Grays' stars depart

Swallow, who has been at the club for eight years, says he is furious with the manner in which players have left Grays and how there is no provision for the club to receive compensation.

Nathan Ferguson (Burton Albion) Jay Leader (Cray Wanderers) and, last week, Dumebi Dumaka (Maidstone United) have all departed in recent months, with Swallow revealing the club didn’t pocket a penny from any of the moves.

And he says football bosses need to introduce a ruling that sees clubs such as Grays receive compensation when star players leave, while admitting he has half a mind to walk away from football after the frustrations of the last few months.

“I want the Football League to make a ruling whereby if you have a non-contracted player then you own their registration, so if a professional club comes in for them then you are guaranteed some compensation,” he said. “Why should I put my money into people like this and then see them just walk away? There is no loyalty.

“It is farcical. Ever since October we have had scouts at our games and players’ heads have been turned. It is killing non-league football. We have had 48 scouts come and watch our players this season and not one of them has paid for a ticket.

“People say how great stories like Jamie Vardy are for the game, but what game? It certainly isn’t for teams like us.

“We want to get promoted and we put ourselves in a good position with what we did over the summer but now the fans are watching something different. We spent our budget on getting into the play-offs and we had the players to achieve that.

“Mark (Bentley) and Glen (Little) do the best they can but three months into the season they are having to do it again. All the while there is no protection for clubs like us we will struggle.

“The fans are being cheated and so is Grays Athletic. I have been here for eight years and never known anything like it. It must change.”