St Albans City Manager Steve Castle has released former Southend United Apprentice Luke Thurlbourne after bemoaning the midfielder’s lack of fitness.
The midfielder joined the Club on work experience from Southend in March 2008 and his performances for the Saints convinced them to offer him a contract at the end of last season.
He returned to Clarence Park at the start of the 2009/10 campaign and was the Club’s Player of the Month for August and September, however, Castle has become unhappy with the midfielders fitness levels in recent weeks.
Speaking after the Club’s Youth Team had knocked Colchester United out of this season’s FA Youth Cup, Castle said:
“He’s made it inevitable really, he had the opportunity to go full time at the start of the season and he didn’t do that, he was assuring me he was staying fit, he’s not working and slowly but surely he was just getting himself more and more unfit.”
“I’ve got a tight budget and he was on good money and it’s a shame because I was one of his biggest supporters. I have offered him a lifeline – to go away and get himself straight and come back but whether he takes that on board I don’t know because I’d love to have him back and a fit Luke Thurlbourne is one of the best midfield players in the league let alone this Football Club but in my opinion we haven’t seen that for a good month or so.”
“He can’t keep on disregarding training it’s just his fitness levels and lifestyle because whatever he’s doing is not conducive to playing football.”
