Midfielder Chris Erskine has turned down a new deal at East Kilbride and revealed he now has SPFL clubs chasing his signature for next season.
The 35-year-old is in the twilight of his playing career as he mixes football with a new full-time job as a fire-fighter and he had hoped to strike a deal to stay at Kilby next season, who play just a short distance away from his base at East Kilbride Fire Station.
However, talks with Kilby gaffer Kevin Rutkiewicz last week collapsed after both parties failed to reach an agreement.
While Erskine is disappointed he won't be staying with his hometown club, the Lindsayfield man is keen to secure something else soon and hasn't been short of offers since announcing his exit on social media on Sunday.
Erskine, who played his last game for the club against Bonnyrigg Rose last month having been out since Christmas, told Lanarkshire Live Sport: "I spoke to the manager over the last week or so, they offered me a deal and it just wasn't right for me.
"He had his ideas about what was right for the club going forward and our thoughts just didn't meet.
"It's nothing personal or bad, it's just one of those things in football and we wished each other all the best.
"A bit of it was about fitting around my job and a bit of it was about the terms I was looking for. They just didn't match, unfortunately, because I would have liked to stay.
"It would have suited me well being close to the fire station, but even more than that, I'm from East Kilbride and I genuinely wanted to help the club get promoted so it's disappointing.
"It's a new manager going in there with his own ideas and he's got to do what's best for the club, and I've got to do what is best for me.
"Once I tweeted [he'd left], I've had five or six folk on to me and a couple from the professional leagues, but it will come down to what suits me best.
"I know it sounds a bit selfish, but my fire service job in my number one now."
Erskine has plenty of top-flight experience having played in the Premiership for Partick Thistle, Dundee United and Livingston.
He has had three spells at the Jags during his career, which started in the Juniors with Kilbirnie Ladeside.
And he insists he doesn't mind what level he plays at next term, as long as it suits his work commitments.
He added: "I'm definitely going to play on. I missed it in the few months I was off for the fire training.
"I'm not fussed about what level it's at but I'd like to go somewhere that has a wee bit of ambition, wants to win something.
"I'll always have that ambition in football, so even if it is dropping down divisions to a team that wants to win a league or something like that then I'll do it.
"I don't think it will be a huge issue with my shifts, but there is potential I might miss training here and there.
"If I can be close or within 30-45 minutes of the station that will really help me.
"I'll be on night shift two weeks out of 10 but if I'm close to home I'll still make them and won't need to get shifts covered for football, basically.
"That narrows down where I can go but I just want to keep playing as long as possible."
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