DORSET club Shaftesbury have pulled off one of the biggest signings in their history with the arrival of striker Brett Pitman.

Former Bournemouth, Bristol City, Ipswich and Portsmouth striker Pitman is one of the most prolific forwards in EFL history.

Across a rich and varied career from the Championship to League Two, the marksman netted almost 200 goals in more than 600 appearances.

Pitman then played 17 games at Eastleigh before sealing a shock move to the Wessex League last season, where he scored 50 times and created 12 assists in just 47 appearances for AFC Portchester.

However, the 35-year-old missed out on promotion with Portchy by a single point in a memorably close final day, as the long-time leaders eventually finished fourth on 94 points.

Aside from his semi-professional playing career, Pitman is also involved in Cherries' academy set-up, passing on his goalscoring knowledge to strikers.

And Pitman has now been tempted to play on the 3G at Cockrams, where he will come up against his former club next season.

The Daily Echo understands numerous sides in the Southern League and Wessex Premier made attempts to sign the goal machine.

Announcing the news on social media, Shaftesbury said: "WOW!! Brett Pitman signs!

"You don't need us to tell you his numbers, Brett is a prolific goalscorer in every league he has played in.

"We are SUPER excited to get this one over the line and look forward to welcoming Brett to the squad."

Pitman is one of a number of impressive signings for Shaftesbury this summer, with the Rockies already securing deals for the likes of midfielder Luke Holmes from Poole, centre-backs Ash Wells and Thiago Caze da Silva plus goalkeeper Shane Murphy among others.