Alan Connell knew the writing was on the wall once Brentford signed Charlie MacDonald, writes

The 25-year-old striker - who bagged 12 goals in 39 starts for the Bees - rejoined League Two rivals Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee this week on a two-year deal.

Connell fell down the pecking order at Griffin Park behind Nathan Elder and MacDonald, and admits he always faced a uphill task once boss Andy Scott snapped up the former Southend hitman this summer.

He said: "From that point, I knew my opportunities were going to be limited no matter what I did, so I thought it was best to move on. "I knew that Charlie was going to play as they paid money for him."

The former Hereford frontman hit six goals in pre-season but still found himself out of favour, and insists he was wasn't given a fair crack of the whip this season.

He said: "I just love playing football, and felt I had done enough during pre-season to play. "I don't think I was given a fair go, but that's the nature of football. "The main reason I left was because I need to be playing first-team football at my age, and I didn't think I was going to get it at Brentford. "I had a great time while I was at the club, and still have a lot of friends there, like Glenn Poole and Craig Pead. I wish them well in the future."

Connell had a nightmare start to his first training session with the Cherries when he went down with a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks.

He added: "I couldn't have got off to a worse start!"