MARCUS RUSSELL has said it is time to call a halt on the crisis that has shattered Ebbw Vale this summer and move on.

Yesterday the club revealed the names of three players who will no longer be part of the set-up next season plus one player who will not be joining.

Winger Andrew Wagstaff has gone to Newport, prop Andrew Clatworthy has transferred to First Division champions Aberavon. And former Welsh international David Weatherley is released from his contract.

The club's board have said that they will help Weatherley find another club.

Also, back row forward Daniel Ferani, who was set to join Ebbw Vale, will not take up that offer.

The losses are in addition to redundancies of administrative staff plus chief executive Tony Dilloway, who leaves at the end of this month.

Now that it is all over, backer Russell said: "We've had a tough couple of weeks and we don't want to dwell on it.

"It's business as usual and we just need the rugby to start now."

The financial crisis, which was resolved with fast-tracking cash from the Welsh Rugby Union, input from Russell and his brother, Paul, plus the cutbacks, have put Vale into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Russell now wants that to change and hopes they have struck a chord with the North Gwent public of how close they came to losing their rugby club on top of the closure of the Corus steelworks.

He added: "I think there is every indication the public will follow us next season.

"We have had a lot of support from other clubs from far afield, a lot of them have been English and we've had e-mails from people like Gloucester and Bristol.

"But I'm not glad about anything at all, to be honest.

"All I want to do now is draw a line under it all and get on with the rugby."