John Baird has told Dundee he will not be signing a new deal for the club and instead has pledged his future to Partick Thistle.
The striker admitted it was a wrench to leave Dens but with the Dark Blues set to play in the First Division next season, the lure of SPL football with the newly-promoted Jags proved too strong.
Baird, who will officially put pen to paper at Firhill, said: “I am delighted that I will be back playing in the SPL next season with a big club like Partick Thistle. Despite that, it was not an easy decision to leave Dundee.
“Before I made it, I spoke to the gaffer John Brown. He told me he wanted me to stay and he would do what he could to keep me but his hands are tied at the moment.
“After I had met the people at Partick, I told John that I had decided to leave. He asked me straight why I was going and when I told him it was to stay in the SPL, he said he understood and wished me all the best.”
Baird admitted the decision to leave was made even harder as he felt he owed Brown a big debt of gratitude.
The striker struggled in the early part of last season, being played out of position, and he admitted that he had not realised just how hard he had been affected by the death of his father-in-law Jim Kennedy, who passed away in October However, he started to find his form again and began scoring goals after Brown’s arrival at Dens in February.
Baird added: “I really can’t speak highly enough of John. Since he came in at Dundee he has been excellent for the team and myself.
“I got to play in my proper position and managed to start scoring goals again.
“I am sure that he will get the club back where they belong in the SPL. The fans were always great with me and they deserve to be supporting a team playing in the top division.
“I really enjoyed my season at the club and there are some great people there. Admittedly, it was a difficult start for me but I probably didn’t realise it at the time how much my father-in-law’s death had affected me.
“I just said to myself at New Year, that I would aim for a fresh start and thankfully it seemed to work for me.”