Stuart Hutchinson has admitted that the lure of a return to his boyhood club was too strong to resist.
The 25 year old left the club in 2015 and was playing in the Championship before Gavin Dykes stepped in to bring him back to his boyhood club in the January transfer window, and Stuart admits it was a relatively simple decision for him when he became aware that there was opportunity to return to Ferney Park.
“I wasn’t expecting it but Gavin made contact with me mid-January and that is when I started thinking it could possibly happen,” he said.
“I talked to them and I liked everything they were saying about the club and they looked to be progressing in the right way. Obviously I have been here before. I’ve been here since I was six, and it was a pretty easy decision to come back.”
At his first spell at the club manager Whitey Anderson hailed Stuart as potentially one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
A succession of injuries meant that Stuart struggled to fulfil that potential but Whitey’s successor Gavin Dykes is hoping that his return to the club will see him establish himself as a crucial member of the starting eleven and remain injury free.
With a clean bill of health at the moment, Stuart’s only concern is adapting to the intensity of top flight football.
“It is taking a bit of time to get my fitness back up but hopefully before long I will be playing the way I should be,” he said.
 “Coming into the Premiership there is a real step up. In both games so far I have come off after 70 or 80 minutes because my legs have gone, but I will hopefully get my fitness back to the level it should be and get a few ninety minutes under my belt and push on.”
Although Stuart is only two games into his comeback he has already been impressed with the personnel and the atmosphere around the club.
 “I have been very impressed with Gavin and the backroom coaches he brought in,” he said. “Obviously Stevie (Feeney) and Andy (Crawford) I knew from before, but everything here is positive. Gavin likes to play football the right way and the team camaraderie is brilliant.
“Everyone gets on. It’s a good group of lads and they want to push each other on. The atmosphere is good and it has made it easy to come back to the club.”
Stuart is more familiar with a central midfield role but has filled in at right back throughout his career.
He has filled both positions already since his return to the club, but he says he doesn’t mind where the boss puts him.
“If I am in the team I am happy and Gavin is a coach that gives you belief wherever you are playing,” he said.
“I played centre midfield against Glentoran and moved to right back against Cliftonville. I think Gavin signed me partly because I am versatile and I am happy to help out wherever.”
Stuart may be a lucky omen for the club, with a one hundred percent record since his return.
He is hopeful that that good run can continue and the Mallards can climb the table over the remainder of the campaign.
“It was a good three points on Saturday and after beating Glentoran as well, we are now heading in the right direction and hopefully we can keep moving up. It has not been easy but it’s good to get  points on the board.
“When we are beating the likes of Glentoran and Cliftonville, then we know we can push on until the end of the season. Glenavon will probably be another tight tense game but hopefully we can do it again.
“There is plenty of belief in the squad and hopefully we can get another three points on the board,” concluded the new signing.