Peterborough United defender Nathan Thompson says he has no regrets about turning down a new contract with Portsmouth last summer, despite being without a club at the time of his Fratton Park exit.

Thompson had apparently been close to securing a deal with a Championship club when he left Portsmouth - who missed out on promotion to the second tier via the play-offs last season - but a move to the second tier never materialised, and the full-back is now back in League One with Peterborough.

Even so, Thompson still feels he made the right decision in leaving Portsmouth, as he told BBC Sport: "Football's a very short career, it's not about having regrets and you've got to take an opportunity when it comes.

"I thought the opportunity was there and for whatever reason, it didn't pan out like that. I can accept that, we move on, draw a line under it and start a new chapter."

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During the two years he spent at Fratton Park, Thompson made 78 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring once in the club's EFL Trophy final win over Sunderland earlier this year, and speaking about his affection for the club, the 28-year-old claimed: "Portsmouth is a club I hold in high regard and I'll always have a huge sense of pride and satisfaction to have played for them.

"The fans were fantastic during my time at Fratton Park and it meant the world to me and my family."

The Verdict

There are some interesting comments in here from Thompson.

I do understand the fact that he would have been keen to make the step up to the Championship, and the fact that he had been confident enough that the deal would go through to leave Portsmouth, highlights the speed at which things can change in football.

That is unlikely to be little consolation to those of a Portsmouth persuasion, however, considering it means they have now lost a decent player to a side you would expect to challenge them for promotion this season in Peterborough.

It will therefore be interesting to see if Thompson's move does pay off in the long run, as both of these sides look to challenge for their own place in the Championship in the coming campaign.