Alfie Kilgour's 17-year association with Bristol Rovers has come to an end, joining Mansfield Town on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.
The centre-back, a product of the club's academy, made more than 100 appearances for his boyhood club, but he has found himself out of favour under Joey Barton this season.
With the 24-year-old's Rovers contract due to expire in the summer, his days with the club were numbered but he was not short of suitors, with League One clubs Port Vale and Exeter City declaring an interest.
But he has chosen to drop back into League Two to play at Field Mill for an ambitious Stags team captained by former Rovers teammate Ollie Clarke.
“On a personal level, I’ve seen Alfie transform from our Academy into a first-team League One player and it’s been a pleasure watching one of our own develop into the man he’s become," owner Wael Al-Qadi said.
"The moment he carried me on his shoulders and bashed my head through the dressing-room ceiling following our promotion victory over Scunthorpe last season will live forever in my memory. I wish Alfie nothing but success and happiness for the future.”
The 24-year-old joined Rovers as a seven-year-old and went on to play 118 times for the first team, scoring seven goals. He established himself as a senior player under Graham Coughlan and he probably played his best football under the Dubliner.
Among his best moments was the 30-yard screamer against Blackpool in February 2020 that delivered Ben Garner's long-awaited first win in charge, and at that time Kilgour seemed on course to move up the pyramid.
But frequent and drastic changes of managers in a short period stunted his momentum, along with a succession of injuries, and although he declared earlier this season he was desperate to earn a new contract with the Gas, the chance to revitalise his career with regular football has taken priority.
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