Midfielder Craig Smith will be missing from the Bradford Park Avenue squad this weekend for the first time this season after completing a rapid transfer to Leigh RMI.

Crowd favourite Smith was surprisingly released by Bradford boss Carl Shutt this week after the Conference outfit made their initial enquiry.

With a few games left for Avenue to pull off an unlikely escape act and preserve their Conference North status, the manager felt Smith was surplus to requirements.

"Leigh put seven days notice of approach on Craig but I rang their manager and said there was no need, he could talk to him right away," said Shutt, whose basement side face a visit from Alfreton Town tomorrow.

"Craig is a very talented young player but a bit of an enigma. If he had been part of my plans I would have done everything possible to keep him but at this stage I think him moving on was best for both parties."

Smith has not displayed the kind of form of late that made him such an integral part of the side last season. He scored some stunning strikes from distance in the campaign that saw Avenue claim a place in the newly-formed Conference North via the play-off route last year.

In Danny Walsh, Avenue have a very similar player. Shutt also has plenty of options with Tony Lennon breaking through from the reserves, Maltese international Jonathon Holland now fitting in, former Barnsley and Rochdale midfielder Sean McClare joining recently, and Dean Calcutt returning to the club.

After allowing Smith to go, Shutt then found out that Holland will not be fit for tomorrow's meeting with Alfreton. But he will have centre half Ryan Crossley back in the squad. He missed Monday's 1-0 defeat at Kettering Town through work commitments.

"The midfield shouldn't be a problem, even with Jonathon missing," added Shutt.

"But while Ryan is expected back, Michael Naylor has not recovered from a knock. Pete Naylor has not trained all week and missed the Kettering game because he has suspected mumps.

"Daniel Ekoku is also a doubt with injury but we might have a new forward, fingers crossed." Shutt spent most of Wednesday in discussions with a player's agent and was hopeful a deal would be reached before last night's transfer deadline.

Bradford Park Avenue (from): Britton, Quinn, P Naylor, Jones, Crossley, Wray, McClare, Greaves, Oleksewycz, Ryan, Coubrough, Clayton, Walsh, Curle, Lennon, Ekoku.