Notts County have confirmed that midfielder Ed Francis has joined fellow National League side Gateshead for the remainder of the campaign.
The 23-year-old signed from Harrogate in 2021, has made just 13 appearances for the Magpies this season, having featured just once in the last 11 games in the league.
With the arrival of John Bostock in December last year, Francis has been pushed down the midfield pecking order and joins the Tynesiders in pursuit of more regular game time to aid Mike Williamson's side's push for National League survival.
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"Ed has applied himself brilliantly every single day," said head coach Luke Williams. "He's been starved of opportunity for one reason or another, but he has tremendous qualities both as a player and person.
"I've worked with players who you just want to see go because they don't contribute positively to the group. That's not Ed at all.
"But he's expressed a need for more regular football and I've reluctantly supported that.
"I would much rather have Ed here than send him somewhere that didn't suit him just to get him out of the building.
"Gateshead are a club I like a lot, with a brilliant manager and staff, as well as a style of play that suits Ed's game - It's the right thing to do and we wish him well."
Francis will be eligible to feature in the Heed's fixture against Chesterfield tomorrow afternoon at the Gateshead International Stadium and will link up with former Notts loanee Quevin Castro, after the 21-year-old also joined the club following the end of his loan at Meadow Lane in January.
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