Just two weeks after Didcot Town manager Francis Vines resigned from his post, the club have been stunned by the news veteran skipper Jamie Heapy is leaving to join Oxfordshire rivals Oxford City.

A true one-club man until this point, Heapy made more than 720 appearances and played in every position (including goalkeeper) in a career spanning 16 years with the Railwaymen.

As club captain Heapy led Didcot to unprecedented success and silverware having lifted the FA Vase in 2005, the Hellenic Premier Division title in 2006, three Hellenic Challenge Cups, two Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy victories and also skippered the side to promotion into the Southern League Premier Division via the play-offs in 2009 – the highest level in the club’s 104 year hstory.

And it’s that desire to play in the Premier Division with City, along with the chance of working under Mike Ford and Stuart Peace again, which has attracted Heapy to Court Place Farm.

His last game for Didcot was the 1-0 defeat at Halesowen last night which leaves them in the lower ereaches of Division 1 South & West in the Evo-Stik Southern League