Torquay United have sold striker Billy Kee to League Two rivals Burton Albion after it was revealed that he had been suffering from homesickness.
Kee had raised the issue with Gulls' boss Martin Ling who decided it was best for Billy to leave Plainmoor for a club nearer to his hometown, Leicester, and a transfer to Burton provided an ideal solution for both parties.
"He came to see me last week and said that he was massively homesick," said Ling. "He had spoken about the situation to players within the club before and also to Paul Buckle and the staff from last year.
"It was not a case of this being the first time and I told Billy that I didn't want him to go. I asked him to think about it for a few days and he did that, but still felt that he wanted go.
"It was down to location and location only. The only way to cure homesickness is to go home. Some people cope ok and I remember moving away myself at 16, and for the first three months, the pain of homesickness was immense.
"I managed to get through it but if a player is not happy in his personal life, you won't get the best out of him on the pitch. I feel that has been the case with Billy and he has said as much himself.
"The situation was made worse this year by going home for the summer and some of the players have said it was always a problem for Billy.
"We have found a solution in Burton Albion. It is disappointing to lose Billy but it is no good keeping somebody against their will.
"I'm happy with the money we've received. There were a couple of clubs in the right area of the country that were interested in Billy.
"It is fair to say that Billy Bodin has come in as a direct replacement for Billy Kee. We told Billy Kee that we could not let him go until we had a replacement secured.
"The process has been very quick because Billy Kee is a good player and we wish him all the very best with Burton."
During his time at Plainmoor, Billy scored ten goals in 54 appearances. He also helped the Gulls to reach the League Two Play-Off final and the fourth round of the FA Cup last season.
In addition to this, Billy also represented Northern Ireland twice at Under-21 level .
