New fans’ favourite Geoff Mitchell has revealed how he turned down offers from England to join the club after enjoying his successful trial period at the club.

The London native has bagged six goals in just four appearances over the Wasps pre-season campaign and admits he now cannot wait for a crack at the SPFL Championship this season.

The former Histon United hitman (pictured) revealed that his rapport with new boss Danny Lennon was a huge factor in him joining up at the club despite receiving late interest for his services from a number of clubs south of the border.

Mitchell told Advertiser sport: “I orginally came up to the open trials at the end of May organised through my agent and the club’s former scout Lee Ebdon. After two days of trials, I got feedback that I had made a good impression from a group of 44 trialists so I then just had to wait and see if an offer would come. Luckily, I was the only one of 44 people to be invited back up for an extended trial and pre-season so that was a great feeling.

“I had trials with a few League One and League Two clubs down south, but I never got picked up so I ended up playing in the Conference South. I missed a lot of the season because of an appendix operation and had fallen out of love with the game at that point to be honest, but seventy minutes of my debut with Histon changed all that.

“I scored three goals and did well there from then on so I got a lot of interest and deals offered to me down south, but I was always holding out to see if the Alloa move would happen. I think it was my preferred option from the get-go because of the impression I got from the gaffer. He impressed me with his thoughts on how the game should be played and what he is trying to build here at the club so as soon as he offered me something I was delighted to sign. The way the gaffer conducted himself throughout the process was so professional and despite it being a part time club, it is run like a full time club. I am training everyday alongside the young lads in order to make the most of this opportunity and I can’t wait to get going properly now. Everyone at the club has made me feel so welcome and I already feel like I have been here forever.” The towering striker has become an instant hit among the Wasps faithful after hitting six goals in just four pre-season appearances and he aims to work hard to build on that bond once the competitive action gets underway.

Mitchell has experienced the SPFL Championship games before watching his close friend Miles Hippolyte in action for Livingston last season and now he cannot wait to get a taste of it for himself on the pitch.

He said: “The fans have been brilliant with me and while you never know how long that bond will last, hopefully if I keep my head down and work hard then it should last for the whole season. I know I will score goals for them this season that is not a problem for me, but it is just about working hard to improve my game and I believe the gaffer will help me do that. I think with the players we have and the squad the manager is looking to build then I think we can do well and surprise a few people this season. We will prepare well for Brora like we always do, we won’t under estimate them, but I still think we should have enough to progress as long as we turn up and play to our potential. We are all excited now for the start of the season with some big games on the horizon, but it is important not to get too carried away and we will just take one game at a time. I am absolutely buzzing to be playing in the SPFL Championship and I know all about it having travelled up to watch my good friend Miles Hippolyte play for Livingston last season. I believe I can do well in the league having seen a few games, and hopefully I can hit the ground running at the club.” The 25-year-old admits the thought of swapping the Conference South for a trip to Ibrox to face Rangers was a huge attraction for him, but he is well aware that the pressure is on the squad to emulate their superb results against the govan side last term.

Mitchell added: “The thought of playing against Rangers was of course a big draw for me because they are still a massive club. Some of the lads have been telling about the games against them last season so I am very much looking forward to those experiences and hopefully we can repeat some of the results against them last year. To play at a stadium like Ibrox is a dream though for any footballer. Every game is a big one for me though and not just the big ones because I am desperate to do well for the club.”