Harry Pell has admitted that his move to Eastleigh is a bittersweet affair.

The former AFC Wimbledon midfielder signed for the Conference Premier outfit on Wednesday night after growing frustrated at his lack of game time at the CRRS.

This season, the 23-year-old has made only 12 appearances this season, including only two starts, and was loaned out to Grimsby Town in November.

Pell did not want to leave Dons, however, for the sake of his career and his family, he could not deny the move was the right choice.

He said: “I felt I still had something to give Wimbledon. I was pestering the gaffer, constantly telling him ‘I feel I should be playing, I want to play’.

“He was honest with me. He signed Jake [Reeves] and said that’s the way he wanted to go.

“As a player, you can either sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or you can pick yourself up and do what’s best for yourself and your family. I felt I need to do that, but I did not want to leave.

“Neal did not make me go. He said he wanted me in the squad, but I am sure he was getting a headache from my demands to play.”

He added: “The move was a drawn out affair, I’d been speaking to Eastleigh for some time.

“But in the end, the end came very quickly. I was sitting on my sofa on Wednesday, and Neal was watching a film with his missus and kids, “Eastleigh got in touch and wanted it down there and then, because they wanted me in training on Thursday morning. It all happened within two and a half hours.

“I am annoyed that I did not play as much as I’d like, but I will give Neal his credit, he sorted it out quickly, and he understood it was the right time for me to go.”

Pell signed for Dons from Hereford in January 2013, making an immediate impact in the midfield and helping keep the side in League Two.

Wimbledon Times: Image from PictureGalleryModule_ID:3178965

Happier days: Harry Pell celebrates a strike in a 3-2 win over Scunthorpe last season 

One Pell of a good signing for Eastleigh (from Daily Echo)

He began his second season on fire with three goals in the opening six games, going on to be a virtual ever-present.

“Fans have only seen the best of me in spells,” he said.

“If you look at this season, I started two games, I got sent off in the first [v Southend] and we won the other 4-1 [v Exeter].

“I felt I was coming on in games and doing the best I could, but coming on as a sub for 20 or 15 minutes, you cannot show what you can do.

“I got my opportunity, I like to think I took it but then I didn’t feature again. I knew it was time to move on, for me and my family.”

Pell is reunited with former Dons striker Jack Midson, who has scored eight goals in 23 appearances for the Hampshire side.

Midson was also a key part in Pell’s fondest memory as a Dons player – scoring the penalty that kept the side in League Two in 2013.

Pell said: “I spoke to Mids about the move, and I’m glad to be reunited with him because he’s a great guy – I am looking forward to playing with him again.

“Staying up on the last day of the season was an amazing moment in my career. Bearing in mind the pressure on us, and the way the whole day went, it could not have gone any better.

“This move is a good thing and a sad thing. I loved the dressing room at Dons, and I really like the boys, I am going to miss it for sure.”