A former Preston North End attacker is quitting a Championship opponent after celebrating promotion.
Billy Bodin, a former Preston North End forward, has announced his resignation from Oxford United, the play-off victors.
The U’s were promoted to the Championship through the League One play-offs on Saturday, but Bodin will not be joining them in the second tier. The footballer has announced that he will leave the Kassam Stadium when his contract expires in the summer.
In a social media post on Monday, he wrote: “My time with @OUFCOfficial has come to an end. After such a strong start to the season on a personal level, it was difficult to find myself out of the team for the remainder of the season, but that is football. And the eventual result of 9 goals and a promotion was well worth it.
“I want to thank all of my teammates and the supporters for their support over the previous three years. 25 goals and a promotion later, best wishes for next season.”
The 32-year-old scored five goals in 36 games this season, although 17 of those came from the bench. He played in the first leg against Peterborough United but did not participate in the London Road or Wembley Stadium games.
Bodin, a former Wales international, played 106 games for Oxford, scoring 25 goals and assisting 14 times. He joins from Preston North End on a free transfer in June 2021. The Swindon-born winger was at Deepdale from January 2018 to the summer of 2021, having joined for a reputed £500,000 from Bristol Rovers.
He made 44 appearances with the Lilywhites, contributing five assists and four goals. He has previously played for Swindon Town, Torquay United, Crewe Alexandra, and Northampton Town. He was most prolific when he played for Bristol Rovers, when he scored double digits three times.
