By Russell Smith RECORD-breaking goalscorer Carl Henry has dropped a bombshell by quitting Witney Town.

The 25-goal marksman has walked out on the Dr Martens League club after becoming disillusioned with the way he has been treated by Witney since picking up a bad ankle injury in early January.

He said: "Basically I have lost faith in the club. I have been injured for five weeks and I don't think they have shown any interest in getting me fit."

Henry claimed that the only two times he had received any treatment at Marriotts Stadium since suffering the injury was from one of his own teammates Justin Merritt, a qualified physio.

"I have never been at a club where I have not had treatment before," he said. "I have just been neglected. I don't see how it can be like that."

Henry, a non-contract player with Town, added that he had also been disheartened by chairman Brian Constable's threat to cancel players' contracts. "With all the money wrangling that has been going on off the pitch I find it unacceptable," he added.

Manager Andy Lyne said: "I am not surprised because I am never surprised with footballers, but I am very disappointed that it has come to this.

"I believed the players had given an undertaking with themselves and with me that despite everything that has happened we would try and achieve as much as we could."

Lyne added that Merritt was a fully qualified physio and always dealt with the major injuries at Witney.

"He has been treated no different to any Witney player - past or present.

"We don't have the rescources to send any of our players for specialist treatment - it's as simple as that."

Henry was an instant hit with the Witney fans after signing from AFC Wallingford in the summer, setting a new club record by scoring in nine successive games earlier this season.

His goals helped Witney to their best start to a season for 20 years as they went unbeaten in their opening ten games to be up among the early pacesetters in the Eastern Division.

Now he is bound to be linked with a return to Wallingford where he scored over 100 goals in the last two seasons. And manager Larry Hill said: "We would welcome him back with open arms."

"He is a goal machine - it's as simple as that. I cannot understand why people like Oxford City don't show some interest in him."

However, Henry said: "I have not sorted out anything with another club. I am signed on for Wallingford, but I have not really spoken to them about going there. I will see when I am right again."

Story date: Wednesday 09 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.