HE MAY have been a man in demand, but Lewis Haldane said that choosing the club where he expected to enjoy himself the most was the driving force behind his move to Frome Town.

The former Bristol Rovers and Port Vale man, who was forced out of the professional game by injury in October 2012, opted to join his close friend Ricky Hulbert at Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division Frome late last week.

He made his debut in the Robins’ 4-0 loss to Redditch United last weekend.

Haldane, who enjoyed a stunning introduction to non-league football as he hit 31 goals in all competitions for Division One West Yate last term, turned down an approach from Chippenham Town, as well as the likes of Paulton Rovers, Hungerford Town and Conference South Weston-super-Mare.

Despite watching his new club lose 3-1 at Chippenham in the FA Trophy earlier this month, the 29-year-old, who broke into the pro game in 2002 when he was snapped up by Bristol Rovers after starring for Trowbridge Town at the age of 17, thinks he’s made the right decision.

“For me, it was all about going somewhere where I was going to enjoy my football and I wanted to go and play with Ricky because he’s one of my best mates,’’ said Haldane, who previously lived in Chippenham.

“I originally joined Yate because he was there,” said Haldane, who found the net nine times for Yate this season before his move.

“I enjoyed playing for Yate and did really well, scoring a lot of goals, but I fell out with the management a bit and felt like I needed a change.

“For me, it was important that I didn’t go somewhere where I’d have to drive one-and-a-half hours to training three times a week because I want to be able to see my family and things like that. Frome is only five minutes up the road from Trowbridge.

“I know Frome are struggling but hopefully I can score goals there, just like I did at Yate, and help get them away from the relegation mix.”

MORE SPORTS NEWS, PICTURES AND REACTION IN THIS THURSDAY'S GAZETTE AND HERALD. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @gazsport