Chelmsford City can confirm that long-serving players Anthony Church and Elliot Omozusi have departed the Club.
The former initially joined the Clarets back in August 2012 from Grimsby Town, however, found playing time limited due to work commitments.
Having departed for Bishop’s Stortford in 2013, Churchy returned to the EMG Inspire Stadium in the summer of 2016.
In his first season back with the Clarets, Anthony played a key role in the 2017 Essex Senior Cup victory at Colchester United’s JobServe Community Stadium.
For a large portion of the 33-year-old midfielder’s time with City following his return, he has been the Club’s First Team Captain.
Speaking on the captaincy ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, Churchy stated that leading the team was a “privilege”.
A year on from Anthony’s return to the Club in 2016, Omozusi became a Claret after signing from Whitehawk in June 2017.
Across spells with Fulham, Norwich City, Charlton Athletic, Leyton Orient and Cambridge United, the 32-year-old defender arrived having appeared in all of the top four English divisions.
During their time with City, Churchy made 184 appearances for the Clarets, meanwhile, Elliot featured on 113 occasions.
Over those outings, Anthony managed to find the back of the net 19 times, while Omozusi bagged a solitary goal.
That goal came during the former Fulham man’s first season with the Club, in a 2-0 victory against Chippenham Town in February 2018.
Speaking on the duo’s departure, City boss Robbie Simpson said: “The hardest part of the job is saying goodbye to players, but it couldn’t get tougher than saying goodbye to Churchy and Elliot. They’re two players that have given so much to this Football Club.
“Churchy, the Club Captain, has always led by example, his attitude is exemplary and he’s a real winner at heart. Elliot, his attitude off the pitch and encouraging others is just second to none.
“Both have been unfortunate with injuries this season, but nothing should be taken away from the hard work and the effort that they’ve given to this Club over a number of years.
“They’ll always be welcome back and it’s really tough to say goodbye to both of them, but unfortunately, football moves on and players do leave clubs.
“I’m sure they’ll wish us well and on the other side, we’ll always wish them well wherever they go. When fully fit, they’re both really, really top players at this level.
“I know whoever gets them are going to be acquiring two top players and more importantly, two of the best people you’ll ever meet.
“So, we thank them for all they’ve done, and we wish them well on their journey.
“I’d also like to add a personal thank you to both for helping me transition from teammate to management, it would have been a lot harder without their support and backing.”
The Club would like to place on record its thanks to Anthony and Elliot for their many years of service and wish them well in their future endeavours.
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