Rangers No 2 warns more could go

Stafford Rangers assistant manager John Reeves doesn't blame Jermaine Johnson for leaving the club - and warns more could follow him out of Marston Road.

Johnson sealed his return to the full-time game yesterday after joining the New Saints, signing a two-year contract with the Welsh Premier League outfit.

The former Derby County trainee became the first high-profile exit since Rangers' relegation from the Blue Square North, with the club set to begin life in the Evo-Stik Premier League next season.

The futures of Reeves and manager Matt Elliott are also up in the air as chairman Mike Hughes is about to stand down, which could mean a delay on plans for 2011-12 while the change is made.

But the Rangers No 2 understands the decision Johnson has made and has wished the 20-year-old all of the best.

He said: "At the end of the day, he sees the writing on the wall at Stafford and he knows we are not going to have a big budget.

"He's got an opportunity to go to one of the biggest clubs in Wales, so it's a chance for him."

Question marks now hang over the other stars of last season's ultimately-doomed team, such as captain Craig McAughtrie and top scorer Ben Mills.

Both spent last season under one-year contracts and are unlikely to get the same deals again, with both likely to leave if they are made better offers elsewhere.

The summer won't pass without some sort of overhaul and Reeves believes there will be interested parties.

He said: "There probably will be more to follow, we will just have to wait and see.

"There are plenty of clubs around who want players."