David Jeffrey has revealed that Linfield did everything they could to keep Rory Patterson at Windsor Park.

The Blues boss has, however, been forced to admit defeat, with Derry City winning the race to sign the 27-year-old striker.

Patterson’s loan deal at Windsor Park has now come to a premature end, with his parent club, Plymouth Argyle, agreeing to release the player.

“In no way was it a matter of allowing Rory to walk away from Linfield,” said Jeffrey.

“I've been in communication with our Team Committee and put to Rory what we could offer him by way of contract.

“Rory has considered not just the contractual and financial implications of the offers, but also the practicalities of undertaking a four-hour round trip to Windsor three times a week, as opposed to a shorter 15 minute drive to the Brandywell.

“Having weighed up all these considerations and factors, he has decided that it is in his best interests to sign for Derry City.”

Patterson scored nine goals in 23 games during an injury hit spell with the Blues, having broken his wrist in mid-November.

He brought the curtain down on his time at Windsor Park with an impressive hat-trick in last Saturday’s 7-1 Irish Cup win over Ballyclare Comrades and he is now backing the Blues to lift a sixth double in the last seven years without him.

“It was a hard call having to ring David Jeffrey to tell him that I'd decided to ask if I could be allowed to join Derry,” Patterson told the Linfield website.

“I tried to make the call a few teams before I finally found the strength to make the call.

“There is simply no way I wanted to leave Linfield even though this move to Derry is I feel in my best interests.

“He did everything possible to make me stay and when I explained how and why I wanted to move to a team closer to home he did everything possible to accommodate me and grant my request.

“I want them to go on and win the league and I have every faith and confidence in them to go on and do that.”