DANNY Rose says it was tough to tear himself away from Newport County and admits he would love to return to the club one day.

The Exiles’ top scorer will officially join Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee when the transfer window reopens on Sunday.

Rose had been expected to sign for a Football League club and the move to a fellow Blue Square Bet Premier side has angered some County fans.

But the 23-year-old England C international explained that it’s a deal that will benefit everyone.

“I’m very sad to be leaving after more than three years,” said Rose, who has scored 11 goals this season.

“I just bought a house in Newport and the club is almost like a second home for me now.

“The fans have been fantastic with me, it’s the best relationship I’ve ever had with supporters.

“And the players are a special bunch. They’ve become like best friends seeing them every day.

“It will be hard to leave but I’m looking forward to a new challenge.

“People will be surprised that it is Fleetwood but they were persistent and proved they really wanted me,” he explained.

“Other clubs showed an interest but that was the only concrete offer and it suited all parties.

“I could have held on and hoped for a Football League club to come in for me but I had to make a decision and grab the chance while it was there.”

Rose is convinced that Fleetwood, currently second in the table behind Wrexham, can win promotion this season and go on to be a force in League Two.

“I think Fleetwood have the best chance to go up this season,” he said. “And if they get promotion everything is in place to compete at a higher level like Crawley have done this season.

“The pitch is fantastic and will suit me a bit better than Newport’s and the stadium is already very impressive with l Continued from back more plans to improve.

“Once I met their manager and chairman and they talked to me about their ambitions it was something I couldn’t turn down.”

Leaving County mired in a relegation battle is not how Rose planned his exit from Spytty Park but he believes they will survive and flourish under manager Justin Edinburgh.

“Without a doubt they will avoid relegation,” he said. “Justin Edinburgh is a great manager and I’m sure he will stamp his authority on the squad in January and bring in some new faces.

“They will have more than enough and the good thing is I won’t have to play against them this season.

“I wouldn’t have enjoyed that because the club is so close to my heart.

“There were a lot of ups and downs but I’ll have great memories of my time at the club and the Blue Square South championship is my biggest achievement so far.

“I always said I wanted to take Newport County into the Football League and I’m sure they will get there.

“And I would definitely relish the opportunity to put an amber shirt on again in the future.”

Edinburgh, whose men are next in action at Bath City on Tuesday, paid tribute to Rose’s contribution to the club since he joined from Oxford United in 2008.

“Danny has been an excellent player for this football club and his attitude since I’ve been here has been first class,” said the Exiles boss.

“It’s always disappointing to see someone of that calibre leave but we’ll move on.

“No player is bigger than the club and the deal was right for us and Danny.”