Welling United 19-goal striker Andy Pugh signs for Blue Square Bet Premier Cambridge United for a five-figure fee
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Exclusive by Matthew Panting
Welling striker Andy Pugh signed for Cambridge United
for £15,000 on Wednesday afternoon.
The 19-goal former Gillingham forward was expected to make
the move earlier this month but it was delayed after he aggravated
a knee injury against Dartford on January 2.
Pugh (pictured) has attracted plenty of interest in recent
months so his decision to opt for Blue Square Bet Premier play-off
hopefuls Cambridge will come as a surprise to Welling fans.
However, Cambridge were the only club to meet Welling's
valuation of the player, who also had a trial at League 1 Leyton
Orient earlier this season.
The deal also includes additional payments should Cambridge be
successful and a sell-on clause if Pugh continues to progress.
"If I was to leave Welling it had to be full-time," said Pugh.
"In my opinion Cambridge are a big club, they are pushing to get
back into the league and hopefully with my help they can do
that.
"I got a good feel for the place, the manager was really keen
and told me the role he wants me to play. I'll have a lot to do and
hopefully things will go well for me."
Pugh could have held out for a Football League club or waited
until his Welling contract ran out in the summer before deciding
his next move, but he believes that he has made the right choice to
step up now.
"Obviously, I think I am good enough to play in the league,"
added Pugh. "But Cambridge are a big club, I scored against them
for Histon a couple of years ago, and the atmosphere was
incredible. It's a great stadium and they are a league club
(effectively) with a good history and ambition.
"Going into the Conference, I've played at that level before and
I know I can do it as I have matured as a player.
"I am going there to play rather than going another couple of
steps higher and having to adapt even more to the pace of the game.
Maybe it would have taken me six months or a year to settle into a
League 1 club. I could have found myself sitting around but now I
feel I can go to Cambridge and help them push on. I feel it was the
best move for me.
"I spent three years as a professional at Gillingham and never
got a run in the team. When the reserve games came around, you were
rusty, you would get sent out on loan for a month and then go back
and keep your fitness.
"Hopefully everyone at Welling would say the same, but just from
playing week in, week out, for the last year and a half I have
matured a lot as a player and I feel I have progressed a lot. Going
somewhere that I can play (every week) was vital."
How do you think Andy Pugh will get on at Cambridge
United? Have your say in the comments section below.
Wednesday, January 25 2012
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