MIDFIELDER John-Joe O'Toole hopes that the majority of Bristol Rovers supporters will understand the reasons behind his decision to quit the club at the end of last week.
O'Toole, who had completed 12 months of a three-year deal after arriving from Colchester United last summer, was given until the end of May to decide whether or not he would activate a relegation release clause in his contract and finally decided to take up the option on Friday morning.
"It was a tough decision for me to make," said O'Toole, who has been linked with moves to Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Scunthorpe United and Southend United in recent weeks.
"I know that some people will not believe that, but, at the end of the day I have to do what I feel is the best thing for my career.
"I do feel bad about the fact that I am leaving the club just after we have been relegated and it was in the back of my mind to want to put things right. Things aren't always that simple though.
"And after thinking about it long and hard I reached a decision that playing in the Conference, unfortunately, was not going to be right for me.
"I want to thank everyone for the way they have treated me during my time at the club.
"And I also want to wish everyone the best in the future.
"I hope the majority of the supporters will understand that I am just trying to do the right thing for myself and my family.
"I know that some of the supporters will be disappointed that I have decided against staying and there will be some bad feeling towards me.
"That's fair enough. I can understand that, too."
Manager Darrell Clarke, pictured, meanwhile, returns to the Memorial Stadium this week following a short break away with his family and a flurry of transfer activity is expected to get underway as he attempts to rebuild the squad in preparation for life in the Conference.
O'Toole added: "I would imagine there will be a lot of changes at the club. Everybody talks about how hard it is to get out of the Conference, but I would say that Darrell is the right man to take things forward over the next couple of seasons.
"It was a tough job for him over the final eight games of the season because we were in the middle of a sticky patch when he took over.
"He showed a lot of hunger and enthusiasm for the job.
"There is no doubt in my mind that he will bounce back and get the right people in to take the club back to where they should be."
www.bristolpost.co.uk/John-Joe-O-Toole-way-Bristol-Rovers/story-21174888-detail/story.html
