7:00am Thursday 17th July 2008
By Ian Wadley
DANNY Smith admits his decision to leave Bashley was influenced by the departures of key men Ryan Moss and Craig Davis.
Ex-Cherries man Smith is officially expected to become the third high-profile player to leave the Recreation Ground this summer by signing for Bognor Regis tonight.
His exit will leave a big hole down the spine of Steve Riley's side, which is already missing energetic midfielder Davis and target man Moss.
"It's been agreed, I haven't signed on the dotted line but I agreed on Monday night and I'm officially signing tonight," revealed Smith.
"Opportunities like this don't come to me very often so when I knew they were interested I wanted it to happen."
Smith confessed his choice to leave was influenced by the fact Bash may find it difficult to fill the gaps left by Davis and Moss.
He said: "I was disappointed not to get promoted and, with other players leaving, I felt this was a good opportunity to move up to the Conference South.
"Losing the likes of Mossy and Davo was part of my decision to go. It's going to be hard for the young lads to replace those sort of players."
Referring to new signings Joe Fisher, Nic Eastham and Charlie Knight, Smith said: "It's a big gap from Salisbury City reserves to the league Bashley are in."
He added: "I've had a great time at Bashley. The players, management and everyone at the club have been excellent to me."
When Smith signed for Bash in March, his contract included a clause which allowed him to leave on a free transfer if the club were not promoted last season, and a Conference South outfit wanted to sign him in the close-season.
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