GREAT Wakering captain Dan Trenkel has left the club and branded it a “sinking ship”.

The 27-year-old says he has joined Ryman One North rivals Brentwood because their promotion hopes match his own.

He has made nearly 300 appearances for Wakering and was top scorer last season and supporters’ player of the year.

But Trenkel says he made the difficult decision to leave after the club “were happy” with a 15th-placed finish.

He said: “I re-signed for Wakering three years ago because the manager at the time, Iain O’Connell, said he wanted to push for the play-offs, and I believed we could do that.

“But then Iain left for Margate and we have gone downhill since then.

“I believe our manager [Ryan Wilkinson] set a points target of 40 points for last season, and that is not good enough.

“And it was a poor season really, we finished 15th out of 21 teams.

“And if it had not been for one good month in October we could have been in relegation trouble.”

Trenkel said there was unrest in the dressing room, and that had a negative impact on performances.

Other departures from Wakering during the summer have been Ross Wall to Maldon & Tiptree, John Bradley (Witham Town), Marc Gorbell (East Thurrock), and Joe Gardner (Brentwood).

And Trenkel said that when team-mates told him they intended to leave, he began to question his own future at the club.

He said: “It felt then like I was on a sinking ship.

“There was not much activity in signing new players, and the club had not even tied down the current squad. It made players feel like they were not wanted.”

Trenkel said he was approached by Enfield Town and Maldon & Tiptree, who offered him a triple-your-money deal, during last season.

But he said he had no intention of leaving Wakering at the time.

And he said that by the end of the season he was ready to go, and a move to last year’s play-off finalists Brentwood was the right one for him.

He also revealed he had been contacted by Aveley about his availability.

Trenkel, whose former clubs include Concord Rangers and Chelmsford City, said he hoped he would get a positive reaction from the fans when he returns to Wakering with Brentwood this season.

He said: “I’d like to think I would get a decent reception. It is a club that is close to my heart and I hope they have a good season.”

Wakering manager Ryan Wilkinson said the club did not wish to comment on Trenkel’s departure.