MARIO Mateus insisted that he enjoyed his time at the Avenue after he left the club by mutual consent on Monday.

The Portuguese winger played 22 times for the Magpies since joining in the summer and left with fond memories of both fans and players at the club.

Asked about whether he enjoyed his time at Dorchester, he remarked: “I did. The players are amazing, Nathan Walker being the funniest one of the lot. He’s a great lad and they all made me feel very welcome when I first came to the club.

“I had a really good relationship with Jem (Mark Jermyn) and Nick (Crittenden).

“Jem and I used to have one-to-ones after games and that just stopped. I think he has a lot of pressure on him because the results aren’t going his way.”

Speaking about the supporters, Mateus added: “My favourite day there was when I got man of the match by the fans. It was a little boy’s birthday and I got to meet him. That was my favourite day at the club.”

“I thought I had a great relationship with the fans. I think they liked my style of football. I’m not going to change my style like Mark wanted me to do towards the end.

Mateus had already rebuffed offers from Chippenham about a deal to move to the Bluebirds but, now he is a free agent, he already has a deal lined up.

The winger explained: “I’ve already spoken to the Chippenham manager and that’s where I will be going next. They are higher up in the league and it is better.”

Manager Jermyn said it was unfortunate that Mateus had to leave the county town side but, felt winter pitches wouldn’t suit the Portuguese winger.

He told Echosport: “Having brought Franklyn Clarke back into the club after he left York City, which will be a huge positive, meant that we had to let someone go.

“Unfortunately, it was Mario. He is a very good player and you never know, one day he might return.

“We’re heading into the Christmas period now and the pitches will start turning. Mario was our flair player and we are in a battle now. We have to make sure we finish in a respectable position and I want people with strength like Frankie than just raw ability.

Asked about Jermyn’s reasoning, Mateus answered: “He said the pitches wouldn’t suit me but, the pitch doesn’t mean anything to me.

“I’ve played on much worse pitches than that.”

With the loss of Mateus, it puts added responsibility on the shoulders of teenager Tom Blair and Ben Wood – the Magpies’ only true wingers.

The departure – as well as a glut of talent in the middle of the park – may see Jermyn change his shape ahead of Saturday’s tough test at home against Chesham United, a side that defeated them 3-0 back in August.

The manager has tried a 3-5-2 intermittently throughout the season and this could once again be in use over the weekend.