It was confirmed yesterday that Alex Purver had joined Swedish Premier Division side Östersunds FK following a successful trial, Tom Feaheny wrote about his time at Guiseley.
Alex arrived at Nethermoor Park on a loan deal from Leeds United, where he had captained their under 21 side and immediately made a big impact, his first two goals came on one of the most memorable nights in Guiseley’s time in the National League as he scored twice in that 6-1 win against York City.
After making 21 league appearances, his loan ended and he returned to Leeds but he would be back with the Lions until the end of the season and was part of the squad that ensured survival was maintained.
It was rightly seen as a major deal when it was announced that Alex would be joining on a permanent basis after leaving Leeds.
Purver was a different type of midfielder for the Guiseley side, his decision making when on the ball under pressure was key in helping the side get forward and he helped the defence by breaking up a lot of attacking moves.
He scored two spectacular long range finishes one against Dag & Red and then last season in the FA Cup against Fleetwood Town, lofting the ball over his ex teammate and friend Alex Cairns as The Lions pushed League One Fleetwood Town all the way.
One of Alex’s final games for The Lions was a fine individual performance against Curzon Ashton, where his goal was the difference with Russ O’Neill afterwards saying it was the best individual performance he had seen from a Guiseley player last season.
Once it became clear that Alex was making the move to Sweden and was taking up a fantastic opportunity with Östersunds FK, while it is tough to imagine him not wearing the Guiseley shirt this season, it is reassuring to know he is going to a club with a proven track record of helping develop talent and my hope is he can help take them to and himself to new levels.
While I’m not sure if it will catch on, I will be claiming royalties if the Swedish papers christen him the English Pirlo!
Alex has said he will be back to watch a game or two during the Christmas period and he will no doubt get a great reception and rightly so!
Everyone at Guiseley AFC would like to thank Alex for his efforts whilst with the club and wish him the best of luck in his future career.
↩️ | We can confirm that @alex_purver has left the club and joined Swedish side @ofk_1996.
We would like to thank Alex for his efforts over the last three years and wish him the best of luck for his future career, Lycka Till Alex! #GAFC pic.twitter.com/SLaaij0Eyq
— Guiseley AFC (@GuiseleyAFC) July 3, 2019
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