Dalbeattie Star have lost striker Iain Anderson to Annan Athletic.
The forward returned to the club at the start of the year but only made a handful of appearances before the coronavirus lockdown.
And while he had signed on for another season at Islecroft, the lure of SPFL football at Galabank proved too much to resist.
Star boss Ritchie Maxwell said: “Annan made us an offer a few weeks ago, which we reluctantly accepted, and he has now agreed personal terms.
“We wish him all the best as it’s a great opportunity for him.
“He’s stepping up to league football and we would never stand in the way of anyone doing that.
“It’s unfortunate the way it worked out as we signed him from Cumnock earlier in the year but he was only able to play a few games for us before the shutdown happened.”
While one player has left Star, another has returned – and swapped sports.
Jack Steele is back for another spell with the club, having spent the last few years playing rugby for Dumfries Saints.
Maxwell said: “The problem is he’s so good at both sports! He’s been in for pre-season and has committed to football, which is fantastic for us.
“He should be a great addition, he can play anywhere and that versatility will be really handy for us.
“We have one or two boys in training with us and hopefully they will commit over the next three or four weeks.
“One of the advantages of being back in training is it makes it easier to talk to players.
“They can come in, take a look at us and see what we’re all about and we can have a look at them as well.”
Star began their pre-season preparations with their first training session on July 27.
The next big date is set to be August 24, when the Scottish Government is set to allow the return of full-contact sessions.
Maxwell added: “We’ve been back training for a couple of weeks and it’s been good. It’s a bit different with risk assessments and everything like that but the boys are just pleased to be back
and getting some camaraderie going.
“We are talking to a few clubs about friendlies - some in the Carlisle area and some in Ayrshire - but we don’t want to commit to anything at the moment.”
