Leiston club captain David Head is leaving the Victory Road club at the end of the season after spending six years with the current Ryman Premier League outfit.

Despite being offered an extra year to stay on with the Blues, Head is calling time on his career at Leiston, although he won’t be calling time on his career in non-league.

Head will be 35 in May and has decided it’s time to step down the pyramid a level or two.

It requires a lot of commitment and time to play at Step Three and after six seasons with Leiston and seven with AFC Sudbury in the Eastern Counties League, Head is looking forward to just as much commitment, but with a little less travelling.

“I’ve enjoyed being at Leiston, and AFC Sudbury before them,” he said.

“I want to keep playing but I don’t really want all the travelling week in, week out, that I have experienced over the past 13 years. And especially now in the Ryman Premier League with Leiston where there is a lot of travelling.

“I also have a great relationship with the club and I really want to jump before I’m pushed, if I’m being honest.

“I’ve enjoyed all of it and have been with some great clubs, but the time for me is now to play a bit closer to my home in Ipswich.”

Head has been a dominant leader wherever he has played.

He reached three FA Vase finals with AFC Sudbury and won the Eastern Counties Premier League title on three occasions with the King’s Marsh club, before moving to Leiston.

“It was a big decision for me to leave Sudbury and join Leiston to be honest,” he added.

“But it proved the right one as Leiston have gone onwards and upwards ever since.

“And I enjoyed my best-ever moment in non-league so far when Leiston reached the first round of the FA Cup and we drew with Fleetwood Town, before losing to them in a replay at their place.

“It was obvious then they (Fleetwood) were a club really going places and look where they are now!”

“Obviously getting to three Vase finals with Sudbury was great as well, but sadly we lost them all.”

Head has so far only played for four non-league sides, Ipswich Wanderers, Harwich & Parkeston, AFC Sudbury and Leiston in a career that he stressed is far from over.

So, where will he end up next season?

“I don’t know the answer to that right now,” he added.

“But I know it will be much closer to my Ipswich home than either Sudbury or Leiston.

“I want to keep all my options open and I dare say I’ll be dropping down to the Eastern Counties Premier.

“It maybe a bit of an eye-opener, we will see. But my commitment to whoever I play for will be 100%. I want to keep playing and I will do so until my legs tell me otherwise.”