ROSS HANNAH and Kingsley James have left Chester after their contracts were cancelled by mutual consent.

The Blues were eager to move on the two high earners, who both had a year left on their contracts, after relegation to National League North.

Striker Hannah headed to Southport at the back end of last season, while midfielder James joined Barrow on-loan as Chester looked to tighten their belts in the midst of limited financial resources.

New joint bosses Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley are reshaping their squad for what is hoped will be a challenge for the National League title and the departure of Hannah and James will boost their transfer kitty.

Speaking two weeks ago, Johnson said: “The big thing for us is that with the budget we’ve got, their wages are taking up quite a bit of that budget. Going part-time, we could look to sign six or seven players for that sort of money.

“But what I can say is that’s no fault of either player, they signed those contracts last summer, and both players have been a credit to themselves for the way they have dealt with the situation so far, and the way they’ve been with myself and Bernard. "

Interest had been shown in James earlier this summer with Johnson saying: “There’s been interest in Kingsley James, we’ve had conversations with a couple of clubs.

“The amount of wages they are offering just isn’t enough for us to want to do anything.

“We don’t want a shortfall. There’s no point in paying a fair chunk of the players’ wages if they are on-loan at another club.

“They are both good players. Regardless of the fact they were part of a team that got relegated last season, that doesn’t make them bad footballers overnight.

“The main thing is it’s the right deal for the football club, but it’s a difficult situation.”