NEW recruit Simon Francis thanked Lee Bradbury for rescuing him from his Valley wilderness and then insisted he was desperate to make up for lost time with Cherries.

Francis this week completed his switch to Seward Stadium at the second attempt – following an on-off transfer saga that stretched back to the summer.

The versatile defender admitted he had feared a “nightmare” campaign after Cherries’ initial attempts to sign him fell through in July when personal terms were not finalised – despite a fee having been agreed.

But with Francis out of contract with Charlton at the end of the season, the deal was revived.

Francis revealed he had been “gutted” to miss out on a move to Cherries in pre-season but said he leapt at the chance to join the club on loan, with a view to a permanent deal in January.

He told the Daily Echo: “Lee gave me a call and said he wanted to do something again and that Charlton had accepted a fee. He asked if I would be interested and I snapped his hand off straight away.”

Francis added: “I was told last season by Chris Powell (Charlton manager) that it would be a fresh start for every player. So, before I had even heard about the Bournemouth interest or had spoken to Lee, my head was on coming back, working hard and doing well for Charlton because it is a great club and I wanted to do well for them.

“Then, suddenly, the Bournemouth thing came up. As it didn’t work out, it killed me really because the manager didn’t choose me and didn’t put me in any squads. I am just glad something has been worked out now.

“I am gutted to have missed 15 or 20 games and I thought it would be going on until January – and that would have been half the season gone before I knew it.

“If something hadn’t worked out in January, it could have been the summer when I would have been a free agent. Missing a whole season without playing would have been my worst nightmare so I can’t thank Lee enough for showing faith in me and coming back a second time. I can’t wait to get started. I just want to help the club do well.”

A former Southend team-mate of boss Bradbury, captain Adam Barrett, goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan and loan man Scott Malone, ex-Bradford and Sheffield United star Francis made 38 appearances for Charlton last season.

The 26-year-old has almost 250 league starts to his name and is today set to make his debut in the FA Cup first round clash against Gillingham.