(Picture: Greig Bertram)
By Jon Couch
AFC FYLDE chairman David Haythornthwaite has moved to stop any conspiracy theories regarding Dan Bradley's shock transfer to Kidderminster, insisting the switch was solely for personal reasons.
After the midfielder handed in a transfer request in June, the Coasters' former National League North rivals announced the return of Bradley this morning, citing his desire to return closer to his Midlands home as the reason for the move.
Since being brought in from Alfreton Town in a record deal in 2016, midfielder Bradley has proved a huge hit at Mill Farm, standing out as one of the outstanding performers in Dave Challinor's side as the stormed to the National League North title last term.
Bradley's future, however, has been questioned over the summer and he failed to feature in the Coasters' squad for the 2-2 home draw with Boreham Wood on Saturday.
Haythornthwaite explained to the club`s official website: “We are really sad to see Dan go as he was instrumental in helping us get promoted last season – the reason why we signed him in the first place.
“As everyone knows, we are not a selling club and in fact this is the first time since I became involved with the club that we have actually sold a player, so it's important to let our fans know why.
“The facts are that once Dan's personnel situation changed with the arrival of his first child due in September, it was soon clear that he wanted to be closer to home. Despite our best efforts to accommodate him in every way possible, once he knew of Kidderminster's interest it was always going to be difficult.
“We had agreed a release sum of £75,000 with player and his agent and put him on the transfer list at his request.
“Kidderminster have, after a lot of discussions, agreed to pay that figure over the weekend and therefore we reluctantly agreed to release him.
“We wish Dan all the best with his new club and hope he performs as well for them as he did for us. I am sure their fans will love him as much as ours did.
“Every penny from the transfer has been made immediately available to the manager to further strengthen the side.
“It has been a turbulent few weeks for the club and the manager with this going on against the background of the unfortunate betting saga. As a result, we lost five really important players over the last week and it couldn't have come at a worse time with the new season kicking off on Saturday.
“However, hopefully that's all behind us now and we can concentrate on footballing matters once again, starting at Chester tonight”.
