NEW signing Mark Jermyn revealed his belief in Poole Town’s promotion prospects had helped to subdue the emotion of his Dorchester departure.

The 33-year-old defender or midfielder, elevated to legendary status after more than 600 appearances and 13 seasons of unbroken service at the Avenue Stadium, signed a one-year deal with his hometown club on Wednesday.

In an interview with our sister paper the Dorset Echo, Jermyn expressed sadness at the nature of his Magpies exit but insisted his trust in new manager Tom Killick had quickly focused his mind on next season’s target – achieving Conference South football.

“I have known Tom for a number of years and played against him during the start of my time at Dorchester,” said Jermyn.

“As soon as I walked away from our first meeting I got a real feeling for what he was trying to put across. He was very open and honest about his ambitions for the club.

“Last season was a struggle for me. Dorchester were getting battered more weeks than I would care to remember so I am looking forward to a fresh start and pushing for promotion.

“That’s one of the reasons I am so happy to join. I am not silly, I have done my homework and the framework is there to push on at Poole. You can see everything is geared towards promotion.

“Our squad is as strong as anyone else’s, the facilities are improving all the time and they have a good fan base with a great catchment area, so there is no reason we can’t get into the Conference South.”

Equally adept at centre-half, right-back and in central midfield, Jermyn has filled a number of positions during his lengthy career but admitted he had yet to discuss a specific role with his new club.

“That didn’t really come into the conversation,” he added. "We will see where I am needed most in pre-season but I am pretty well-versed across the board and will play wherever I am asked to.”