Napster
No ⭐
Lawrie Dudfield has hit back at Graham, Drury, manager of Blue Square North newcomers Corby Town, over the manner of his exit from the Rockingham Triangle.
And the former Leicester City and Northampton Town striker says he intends to take legal action over the matter.
Dudfield was released by the Steelmen last Friday with Drury subsequently giving the reason for the decision as him feeling Dudfield wouldn't be able to provide the goals Corby needed.
But Dudfield (pictured) has angrily disputed Drury's version of events and says the club are now in breach of contract.
"I will be talking to my solicitor, the FA and the PFA because I'm not having the situation stay like this," said Dudfield.
"I signed a contract, I paid agents fees and then Graham Drury called me up last Friday to tell me he was letting me go and that the contract was null and void because he never sent it in to the league.
"The fact is that he asked me to play wide right throughout pre-season and I did that and I think I did well.
"I wanted to play as a forward but I'm a team man and if playing wide right suited the team then I was happy to do that.
"For him to then say he didn't see me as wide-right man after playing me out of position all pre-season was unbelievable.
"I was never told any of that when he phoned me last Friday. He told me he'd had his budget cut and that he couldn't keep me.
"I could probably accept all this if I'd had a rubbish pre-season but I didn't.
"I know Drury has spoken to other clubs about me but I never asked him to do that. I wanted to play for Corby and I signed a contract expecting to do that."
Drury said: “He felt I was being disrespectful to him by telling him he wouldn`t get into the team in front of the other strikers.
"But what people have got to realise is that in non-League football, it's a bit different to what he's been used to.
"In non-League football, I get just five weeks of pre-season, see the players twice in midweek and once on a Saturday.
"So if they don't hit the road running and don't score the goals then they don't get picked.
"His scoring record overall isn't great and I just couldn't see him
scoring the goals we need.
"Throughout pre-season he's been getting into lovely areas to finish chances but then not doing that.
"I've got to pick four strikers out of five and the lads that I've kept have been scoring more goals – and goals win games.
"You can get in the areas all day long. But if you don't put the ball in the back of the net, it's no good.
"At the end of the day, he wanted to know if would be playing football each week and I told him I couldn't guarantee him a regular start – which is the case for everyone in the squad.
"He didn't want to leave and I think he's a fantastic lad who works hard and did work hard for me when he played wide right.
"But at the end of the day, I didn't see him as a wide-right man and neither did he.
"He saw himself as a forward and, while he would create and would work hard, I just didn't see the goals going in for me."
And the former Leicester City and Northampton Town striker says he intends to take legal action over the matter.
Dudfield was released by the Steelmen last Friday with Drury subsequently giving the reason for the decision as him feeling Dudfield wouldn't be able to provide the goals Corby needed.
But Dudfield (pictured) has angrily disputed Drury's version of events and says the club are now in breach of contract.
"I will be talking to my solicitor, the FA and the PFA because I'm not having the situation stay like this," said Dudfield.
"I signed a contract, I paid agents fees and then Graham Drury called me up last Friday to tell me he was letting me go and that the contract was null and void because he never sent it in to the league.
"The fact is that he asked me to play wide right throughout pre-season and I did that and I think I did well.
"I wanted to play as a forward but I'm a team man and if playing wide right suited the team then I was happy to do that.
"For him to then say he didn't see me as wide-right man after playing me out of position all pre-season was unbelievable.
"I was never told any of that when he phoned me last Friday. He told me he'd had his budget cut and that he couldn't keep me.
"I could probably accept all this if I'd had a rubbish pre-season but I didn't.
"I know Drury has spoken to other clubs about me but I never asked him to do that. I wanted to play for Corby and I signed a contract expecting to do that."
Drury said: “He felt I was being disrespectful to him by telling him he wouldn`t get into the team in front of the other strikers.
"But what people have got to realise is that in non-League football, it's a bit different to what he's been used to.
"In non-League football, I get just five weeks of pre-season, see the players twice in midweek and once on a Saturday.
"So if they don't hit the road running and don't score the goals then they don't get picked.
"His scoring record overall isn't great and I just couldn't see him
scoring the goals we need.
"Throughout pre-season he's been getting into lovely areas to finish chances but then not doing that.
"I've got to pick four strikers out of five and the lads that I've kept have been scoring more goals – and goals win games.
"You can get in the areas all day long. But if you don't put the ball in the back of the net, it's no good.
"At the end of the day, he wanted to know if would be playing football each week and I told him I couldn't guarantee him a regular start – which is the case for everyone in the squad.
"He didn't want to leave and I think he's a fantastic lad who works hard and did work hard for me when he played wide right.
"But at the end of the day, I didn't see him as a wide-right man and neither did he.
"He saw himself as a forward and, while he would create and would work hard, I just didn't see the goals going in for me."
