Phil Gulliver last night became the first victim of King's Lynn Town's defensive shake-up.

The 31-year-old centre back was released by Gary Setchell less than 48 hours after he scored during Saturday's 3-2 home loss to Marine. But his finish wasn't enough to secure his future at The Walks as the Linnets' boss made the changes he promised at the weekend.

Setchell, whose team have conceded 16 goals in their last five matches, said: 'It was one of the hardest decisions I've made as he's done an unbelievable job.

'The long and short of it is I need to bring in fresh bodies and to do that I need to free some money up. Phil is one of the bigger earners at the club. He's done no better or worse than the other defenders. This level has found one or two out and I'm not saying Phil's not good enough to play at Step Three, perhaps he just needs different players around him.'

Gulliver signed for Lynn from Corby Town in July 2012 and made 61 appearances during his time in Norfolk, scoring four goals. Setchell is likely to pair youngster Ryan Fryatt, who will play for Wisbech Town this evening, with Jason Lee at the heart of the Linnets' defence against Whitby Town at the weekend.

'Ryan's going to play for Wisbech to get some minutes in what will be a tough game against Spalding,' said the Lynn manager.

'He hasn't defended as poorly as some of the others and deserves a chance while I work hard to bring in a centre-half that can help make a difference.'