Oli Hawkins 'sad' to leave Portsmouth behind after Fratton Park exit is confirmed
Oli Hawkins has said his Pompey goodbyes.
The striker, who netted one of the penalties in the Blues’ play-off shootout defeat at the hands of Oxford, has left the club after three years.
And the free agent thanked those who made his time at Fratton Park and the city memorable in a short message via his Twitter account.
He said: ‘Enjoyed my time and sad to have to leave this city!! Thank you @Pompey all the best for the future.’
Pompey confirmed Hawkins’ departure on Thursday, following the expiry of his contract, with a short-term deal signed to ensure his participation in the Oxford double-header.
However, he played just six minutes of the play-off games, replacing Ryan Williams deep into extra-time at the Kassam Stadium.
He was still selected, though, to take one of the Blues’ penalties.
The front man successfully converted his effort – but there was no repeat of his decisive penalty in last season’s Checkatrade Trophy final victory against Sunderland, with Pompey succumbing to a 5-4 shootout defeat at the hands of Oxford.
Hawkins, who was restricted to just 13 outings this season, moved to Pompey from non-league Dagenham & Redbridge in 2017.
In total, he made 96 Blues appearances and scored 18 goals, with the 28-year-old often playing centre-half as manager Kenny Jackett attempted to find his best position.