FORMER Gillingham crowd favourite James Corbett has joined Division 3 Southend following his release by Premier League Blackburn.

Corbett, who left Priestfield for Ewood Park in May, 1998, never made a first team appearance, despite costing an initial fee of £525,000 rising to £1m on appearances.

The 23-year-old former St John Fisher, Chatham, schoolboy was loaned to Darlington last season and scored a couple of goals before returning to Blackburn.

His family have continued living in Rainham and this influenced his decision to return south. He has signed a one-year contract for the Shrimpers and is believed to have agreed a £500-a-week deal compared to the £6,000 a week he was earning at Blackburn.

His agent Andrew Mills said: “Jimmy had various options for trials and I'm bound to say that Southend might not have been the best option for him. In fact it's a brave move for him.

“What Southend have done is guarantee him first team football and all he wants is to get back playing again. I hope we'll be hearing a lot more about him in the future.”