Blue Square South club Thurrock have signed defender Craig Pope from Blue Square Premier side Histon.
Pope, 27, was one of the most consistent players at the Glassworld Stadium, which is why it came as a shock to supporters when he was one of the four named to go by chairman Tony Roach on Monday.
Originally with Barnet, Pope joined the Stutes from neighbours Cambridge City at the start of the 2007/08 season.
In August 2008 Pope announced that he was retiring from the game after being handed a four-match ban for using 'abusive and/or insulting words aggravated by a racial element' during the Boxing Day game with Cambridge United.
He denied the claims and chose to challenge the ruling in an attempt to clear his name and Histon supported him in both the original hearing and the subsequent appeal.
He made sixty-nine appearances in his time at Histon and should prove to be a major asset to the Essex club`s play-off bid.
