'A bit bizarre': How ex-Portsmouth, Ipswich and Swindon star with 112 goals and 14 hat-tricks in two years was tempted to non-leaguers

And delighted Baffins boss Danny Thompson insists former Pompey favourite Brett Pitman has taken a wage cut to make it possible.

After 112 goals and 14 hat-tricks during two seasons spent serving AFC Portchester and then Shaftesbury, the 36-year-old has agreed to switch Wessex League Premier Division clubs.

He clinched promotion with Shaftesbury in May after netting the winner in a 1-0 triumph over AFC Stoneham in the league play-off final.

However, work commitments with Bournemouth’s Academy dictated he was unable to meet the increased travelling commitments created by promotion, leaving him looking for a new club this summer.

And Thompson, a team-mate of Pitman’s in Tony Male’s Pompey Legends side, has managed to persuade the striker to sign up for Baffins.

He told The News: ‘We tied up the deal over the phone while I was lying on a sun lounger around the hotel pool having a beer!

‘It’s a bit bizarre, but all part of non-league football I suppose. He’s a lovely guy and it’s a massive coup for a little club like Baffins Milton Rovers.

‘I am not going to talk about what Brett is on. He was on a lot of money at his last two clubs, we couldn’t compete with Portchester or Shaftesbury, but he’s taken a wage cut to come here.

‘We offered him a deal, he’s happy with that deal, and full credit to Brett for coming in and agreeing those terms. He still has that hunger and desire to play football, while helping us along the way.

‘People are going to be saying he’s on this, he’s on that, he’s getting a signing-on fee. That is a private matter between us and Brett, but he has taken a pay cut and fair play to him.

‘He had a few clubs at a higher level interested, but he can’t really commit to the travel. There were also a couple of good offers - and they were good offers as well - and if it was about the money, I'm sure he would have gone to those clubs sniffing around him.

‘But it’s not all about that, this suits him for where he is at this moment in time in his life and career.’

Pitman, who holds a Uefa A licence, captained Pompey to the Checkatrade Trophy in March 2019, netting one of the penalties in their shoot-out success over Sunderland at Wembley.

He scored 42 goals in 99 for the Blues before leaving in July 2020, and has also seen service with Bournemouth, Ipswich, Bristol City and Swindon.

Thompson added: ‘Brett loves the Portsmouth area and still has that enthusiasm for the game. He’s coming to the latter stages of his career having proven it at our level for the last two seasons and in 2019 lifted a trophy at Wembley - now he’s playing at the PMC Stadium!

‘It doesn’t seem real, but it shows our ambition in trying to move forward, not just off the field, but on it as well.’