IAN Chopper' Harris has left Chippenham Town to join arch-rivals Salisbury City.

Harris, who played for the Whites in the late 1980s, took up his new post as goalkeeping coach at the Ray McEnhill Stadium on Tuesday night.

He only joined the Bluebirds in the summer, but offered to leave after manager Darren Perrin was forced to trim his burgeoning squad.

Harris said: "It was a move that suited both parties. Darren said I did not have to go, but I knew it would help ease the budget worries.

"This move is not a reflection on Chippenham - far from it.

"But this is a great opportunity for me. When you get an offer from a club like Salisbury it means you must be doing something right."

Harris, who also worked with the Weymouth goalkeepers earlier in the year, said he was excited about the prospect of coaching a team riding high in the Conference South.

He says he will miss working with the Chippenham players, especially young goalkeeper Chris Snoddy, who signed a two-year contract with the club on Wednesday Said Harris: "That's the one real disappointment for me. Both myself and Steve Perrin have put in a lot of hard work with Chris and I really wanted to see him develop.

"Chris actually reminds me of a young Steve Perrin I coached at Westbury United 15 years ago.

"He certainly has the potential to be a very good goalkeeper and I hope he continues to do well."

But Harris also warned the Chippenham fans to write veteran stopper Perrin off at their peril.

He said: "Steve has come in for some unfair criticism from some of the supporters this season.

"He has been carrying a knock almost from the first week which has affected his mobility.

"That said, I can only remember him making one mistake and that was down at Clevedon.

"He's still one of the top three goalkeepers in the league and he has a lot to offer."

Bluebirds boss Darren Perrin said he was sorry to see Harris leave the club but wished him all the best for his new venture in Salisbury.

He said: "Salisbury made Ian a great offer that he couldn't turn down. He will be a big loss because he's done a lot for us in a short space of time."