Carshalton Athletic manager Dave Garland has beaten Conference South play-off winners Salisbury City and Basingstoke Town to the signature of striker Phil Ruggles.

The sought-after Ruggles has joined the Robins from crisis club Molesey, and is set to form a potentially deadly partnership with Carshalton's top scorer Luke Fontana, which Garland hopes will propel his side to a promotion tilt next season.

The move ends weeks of speculation surrounding the ex-Kingstonian and Leatherhead striker, who comes to Colston Avenue with a healthy non-league reputation.

And boss Garland is delighted to have secured the 24-year-old's services after a tracking the striker for more than a year.

He said: "Phil is signed, sealed and delivered, which is great news for the club. Salisbury City and Basingstoke Town were after him, so we're even more delighted to get him on board.

"To be honest, I wanted to bring Phil here when I joined.

"We have been tracking him for a while, and it's nice that we have finally brought him to the club."

The Robins boss is licking his lips at the prospect of a Fontana-Ruggles strikeforce next season.

"It is exciting to have two forwards of that calibre. They are proven goal scorers and I'm sure they will hit it off next season," he said.

Garland was adament that Ruggles' arrival did not signal the end for Laurent Hamici or Charley Side, insisting the pair still have a role to play at the club.

One player who is leaving Colston Avenue is influential midfielder Mark Marshall, who has instead sets his sights on securing a move to a higher level of football, much to Garland's chagrin.

"I think Mark is a superb guy, but he and his advisors think he can play at a higher level - good luck to him," he said.

"I'm disappointed but, once people get into someone's head and start telling them they can earn more money elsewhere, it's hard to tell them otherwise."

Garland also revealed that the club had taken up options on defenders Simon Cooper and Liam Harwood who will remain at the club next season.