Port Vale Football Club can confirm that Aaron Martin has joined Eastleigh on a permanent transfer.

The 32-year-old joined Darrell Clarke’s side last summer and made 36 appearances for the Valiants, as he helped us to secure promotion to Sky Bet League One.

Martin netted three times for the Vale, with his most memorable strike his late winner away at Barrow in February of this year.

The defender brought a wealth of experience with him upon his arrival at Vale Park and was often named by his teammates as a reliable source of help and advice.

Martin returns to the club where he began his playing career, in a transfer that sees him move back home with his family, following discussions with Darrell Clarke and David Flitcroft.

Speaking about his decision to depart the club, Martin said: "The move is very much a personal choice for me, Eastleigh is the place where it all started for me in my career, and I always said that I would return to them one day.

“It allows me to be back home with my family, I’ve got kids now and the club is just down the road from where I live, so it just ticked so many boxes for myself.

“I’d have absolutely loved to have stayed at Vale, but there just becomes a time where you have to put your family first and that’s the main reason behind my decision.

“My time at Vale was absolutely amazing, one of the best years of my career, I’ve genuinely loved every single bit of my time with the club.

“The staff, the players, the fans and everyone else to do with the club made last season a really good year; a tough year where we had to pull together and overcome challenges, and promotion at the end of it all really topped it off.”

We would like to place on record our appreciation to Aaron for his service to Port Vale. We wish Aaron well in his future career and both he and his family will always be welcome at Vale Park.