Luke McCormick on his Bristol Rovers return, Joey Barton factor and his fitness

The 23 year old has signed a three-year deal at the West Country club, in his second stint in blue and white quarters.

McCormick was part of the Bristol Rovers squad that was relegated to the fourth tier in the 2020/21 season, and despite all games that season being played behind closed doors he said he felt an immense bond with the club.

McCormick started with: “My connection, albeit was through social media, it was a tricky period here and for the world really, so there were no fans in the stadium. The love and the support, I could feel that even though they weren’t in the stadium.

“I can only thank them not only by my words but by my performances, hard work on the pitch and hopefully I can get to work as soon as possible and repay that love.”

He was a real fan favourite for the Gas in his season on loan from Chelsea, despite the extraordinary circumstances with fans not able to attend games due to Covid restrictions.

He said: “It’s frustrations on both sides because like the fans that wanted to watch me in the flesh, i wanted to play in front of a packed out Memorial Stadium

It was like a disaster but I came out of it with a lot of love and respect for the football club, fans and the people involved.”

The midfielder was released by Chelsea off the back of his loan spell, and was then picked up by AFC Wimbledon, however he revealed he maintained contact with Joey Barton and kept an eye on the club.

“I watched a lot last year, it was probably the first result I checked in all honesty. It’s something that was a really big pull for me coming back. It was something I really thought was bugging me, I wanted to experience it.

“I scored my first goal at the Mem and I had my media stuff at the ground this week. By being there, I was reminiscing on some of the good times and the bad times and it was quite special for me.

“The gaffer is a massive pull in me coming here, I have a great relationship with him. I have been here a couple of days now, the boys have been class with me.

“It’s a really good and tight-knit group, to be honest a lot has changed. The standard has really gone up, this is personally for me, definitely similar to my time at Chelsea, the standards are a level above for me in terms of facilities.”

Joey Barton finally got his man, with talks with AFC Wimbledon spanning the summer and the Rovers manager openly admitting that he wanted McCormick in his side again.

“It is something that I have known about for a while. I wasn’t really interested in anything else. My heart was set here on coming back. It’s always a difficult situation, a lot of people talking had their opinions. I am just here to kick on, show the fans and repay the faith the club has in me.”

McCormick did not feature for the Dons at the start of their League Two campaign with much speculation about his future and as a result he may need a couple of weeks to return to full fitness, admitted Rovers coach Andy Mangan.

He said: “I’m feeling fit, I feel strong but it’s very different to playing in a competitive match. A big part of my game is energy and I want to be at a level where I can impact the game.

“There is no token gesture appearances at this level, I wouldn’t want for myself or the team. I want to make sure I am at a level where the strength and conditioning coaches are happy at.  The gaffer is the one who picks the team and when I’m ready to be selected, that is his decision and that is whenever he feels like it.

“I’ve seen the stadium restraints have been taken for the Shrewsbury game, which is good timing for me coming in and I’ll definitely be there whether I’m involved or not and I think it’ll be a real special moment.”