Grimsby Town forward is in Swindon and training with the club after saying his goodbyes to his Mariners teammates.
Messaging on his Twitter feed @AlConnell83, Connell posted the following two ‘tweets’:
left gtfc with a heavy heart,was happy to stay until swindon came in… everything i could’ve wished for. have so many fond memories from gt’
…followed by…
‘delighted 2 be a swindon town player,hasn’t really sunk in yet,whirlwind few days,all happened so quick! training was quality today #excited’
Despite being an Arsenal fan the centre forward started his football education at Tottenham Hotspur before becoming a pro with Ipswich Town for a year.
Connell then moved to Bournemouth where he was popular for his hard work but injuries restricted him to mainly substitute appearances for the Cherries.
Torquay United paid £5,000 for his services in 2005 but it was an unsuccessful stay in Devon which only last a season before another move, this time to Hereford United.
It was just one season at Edgar Street but Connell finished top scorer despite not always being used as a forward.
His exploits at Hereford earned him a move to Brentford where he once again spent just one season, scoring 12 times in 44 appearances.
Connell returned to Bournemouth in 2008 for an undisclosed fee. He helped them avoid relegation into Non-League despite a massive points deduction.
In 2010, the Londoner dropped into Non-League football with Grimsby Town and it proved to be a good move for Connell as he became a bit of a hero, scoring 25 goals in 46 outings for the Mariners. He won the Player of the Year award and expressed a desire to remain with them but when Swindon came in with a six figure bid and a return to the Football League, it proved too good to turn down.
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