WHEN Cirencester Town’s first team squad returns for pre-season training on Tuesday they will be without their 2014/15 Players’ Player, Matt Liddiard.

Box-to-box midfielder Liddiard, 22, has opted to return to his former club Gloucester City, who play one level higher than Cirencester in the Vanarama National League North.

Liddiard has been an ever-present in the Cirencester side, helping them to become champions of the Evo-Stik Southern League Division One South & West in 2013/14 and win last season’s Gloucestershire Senior Challenge Cup.

The talented young midfielder was thought of as a future club captain by Cirencester boss Brian Hughes and indeed he captained the senior Hartpury College team to the British Universities & College Sports Championship title earlier this year.