SALISBURY CITY boss Mikey Harris has departed the crisis club, joining League Two side Portsmouth to work with their youth team.
The Whites were demoted to the Conference South for failing to pay outstanding wages and the club are still at loggerheads with new owner Otail Touzar who they claim is a ‘fraudster’.
Salisbury were taken over last month by supporter Mark Winter and Touzar but the club have since banned the Moroccan businessman for failing to put any money into the Whites, despite owning 98 per cent.
City, who are trying to get Touzar’s ownership overturned, have until July 4 to pay a bond to the league and clear their football creditors or face being expelled from the Football Conference altogether.
Harris, who served as assistant to Darrell Clarke and took over as manager when he departed for Bristol Rovers last summer, led them to 12th in the Conference Premier but has decided to exercise a clause in his contract and move to Pompey.
Joint-owner Winter said: “I’m devastated to lose Mikey and I felt he would have stayed if Otail Touzar had not remained as the owner of the club.
“But as the legal fight to remove him continues, Mikey has decided with a heavy heart to leave. For him and Sarah we can all understand the reasons for coming to this decision
“I know one day Mikey will be a top manager much higher up in the leagues, and we would have lost him eventually anyway.
“But on behalf of myself and I am sure all the supporters I have thanked him for all he has done for the club in the ten years he has been here”.
In another blow, Salisbury have also lost highly-rated England C winger Elliott Frear who has joined Forest Green Rovers on a two-year deal.
