RICKY Shakes knew within minutes of meeting Andy King that he would be plying his trade at the County Ground next season.
The Town manager’s sales pitch was enough to convince the 20-year-old midfielder that he should swap the Reebok Stadium reserves for a likelier chance of first team football in Wiltshire.
Shakes said: “I met Reevesy (Alan Reeves) first and he put in a good comment for me and then I spoke to the manager.
“The things he said about the club were good as well.
“The players have greeted me well. When you come in, first impressions always stick and the first impression I’ve got is good.
“It’s made me feel comfortable here.
“It’s quite close to where I live (Brixton) and I thought to myself that I want to come down here.’’
The likes of Shakes might be expected to be cautious about trading a Premiership place for League One football.
But he added: “It was, really and truly, an easy decision for me.
“I didn’t get my chance in the Premiership side and I thought to myself that I didn’t want to drop down too far, but I wanted to work my way back up again.”