Andy Drury becomes latest player to leave Hawks

Andy Drury fires in a shot during Hawks' home win against Slough last season. Photo by Dave Haines.

The veteran midfielder has had the final year of his Westleigh Park contract cancelled, and has rejoined Kent club Sittingbourne.

Drury, who turns 37 this November, started his career with the Isthmian Premier League South East club in the early part of the millennium.

Based in Canterbury, he was one of three Kent-based players at Hawks last season - along with Danny Kedwell and Dean Beckwith.

The other two were released back in July after the Hawks lost to Dartford in the National League South play-off semi-final.

Drury only spent one season at Hawks, arriving at the club in the summer of 2019 from Ebbsfleet United, where he had played alongside Kedwell and current Hawks defender Sam Magri.

He was no stranger to Hampshire non-league football, having played for Eastleigh in 2015/16.

After starting out at Sittingbourne, Drury played for Lewes before progressing to Stevenage Borough.

After helping them win promotion to the Football League, Drury was signed by Luton Town before a £150,000 switch to Championship club Ipswich in 2011.

He later played for Crawley and Luton again before returning to the non-league game.

Hawks have now brought the average age of their squad down considerably from last season.

Drury was the fourth 36-year-old to leave the club, after Kedwell, Beckwith and Nicky Bailey, while Wes Fogden, 32, was recently allowed to join divisional rivals Dorking.

Other players who have left Hawks this summer are Joe Cook, Jake Flannigan, Brad Tarbuck and Chris Paul, while Alfie Rutherford and Joseph Ayunga were sold to Dorking and Bristol Rovers respectively.