MULLION chairman David Hearn admitted he was disappointed last week after four of his first team players walked out of the club to join former manager Alan Carey at Falmouth Town.

Sean Flynn, who had just been named the caretaker boss of Mullion, along with Ben Stidwell, Dan Stidwell and Alan’s son Rob Carey were all playing for Falmouth in the Carlsberg South West Peninsula League Premier Division on Saturday.

This is two leagues higher than Mullion, who struggled to put a side together for their home match with St Just.

“Alan did say to me when he phoned up to tell me he was leaving on New Year’s Eve that he wouldn’t be taking any of our players,” said a disappointed Hearn. “Last week was very difficult for us. I think Sean, deep down, wanted to stay. We haven’t fallen out with any of them we’re just a bit annoyed that he (Carey) has taken a huge chunk of our players.

The departures are a blow to Mullion who, before Carey had left, had won eight out of nine games. Last week Hearn was talking of consolidating the side’s position in the league and hoping to keep the squad together for a promotion push next season. However, despite further exits he says these aims have not changed.

“Our objectives remain the same, we hope this is a minor setback. We were all a bit down last week but we had a good result at the weekend. We called all the players in had a long chat with them and they went out there and rolled their sleeves up and we could have easily won the game.”

Hearn has now called on officials of the SWPL league to look at its rules so a situation like this doesn’t happen again. Hearn says that under Jolly’s Combination League rules, he can only take one player a month from the same club at a time.

Whereas Peninsula League clubs can raid the Jolly’s Combination league sides without any regulation on numbers and often the attraction of playing at a higher level is too much for the individuals involved to turn down.

“The rules definitely need looking at, it is a huge chunk of our squad,” said Hearn, who also added that any of the players who left could easily return should they find themselves out of favour at Town.

“They are still on Jolly’s Combination League terms with us. We would love the lads to come back if they find themselves out of the team for any reason. We haven’t left on bad terms with any of them.”