James Connolly admits his heart was set on a permanent move to Bristol Rovers last season, even before their promotion to League One was confirmed.
The centre-back was a transformative mid-season signing for the Gas, with his January loan move from Cardiff City solidifying Joey Barton's defence as Rovers romped from the bottom half into the top three in a remarkable second half of the campaign.
His brilliant form led to Barton and Gasheads alike being desperate for the newly-capped Wales Under-21 international to return on a permanent basis for a crack at the third tier, and that move was confirmed last week with Rovers agreeing a deal with Cardiff that could be worth £150,000 if add-on clauses are triggered.
After joining Rovers for the first day of pre-season training on Monday, Connolly told the club's website he is "made up to be back".
"To be honest, I knew last season I wanted to come back," he said. "There were technical bits that had to be sorted, but I knew I wanted to come back, even before we went up, and that was the cherry on top of the cake for me."
The security of a three-year deal and the confidence Barton has placed in the former Blackburn Rovers prospect were hugely influential, with the 20-year-old sure he is in the best place to further his development after a breakthrough season.
"A few years here is what I wanted," he said. "I think I said last season it’s the best club I’ve been at, and I mean it. It’s great here, I love it with all the lads, everything about it, and I wanted to get down here permanently and get a few years here.
"I think it’s the best for me and the best for my development."
Twenty-four League Two appearances were more than enough to showcase that Connolly is a player capable of thriving at a higher level and he is relishing his chance to play in the third tier with the Gas.
"Of course," he concluded. "We just need to be confident and play with confidence like we did last season, trust ourselves because we’ve got good players.
"The lads are confident and we think we can do well."
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