DUNFERMLINE star Dom Thomas has become the first player to announce that he is leaving the club following their relegation to League One.

The fans' favourite has announced the news on social media, saying that he will leave East End with "great memories" whilst thanking the "special" Pars supporters.

The 26-year-old said: "Would like to thank Dunfermline Athletic for my time at the great club, I will go with great memories, I loved my time there.

"Thanks to all the managers and staff I played under and the players I played with.

"A massive thanks to the fans who supported me from the start, special people."

National newspaper reports have suggested Thomas has signed a pre-contract agreement with Queen's Park - who defeated the Pars in the Championship play-off semi-final - but that has not been confirmed by either party.

He will, however, not be extending his stay at East End, which began with a loan move from Kilmarnock in January 2020.

After the season was halted early due to Coronavirus, he made the move permanent on a two-year contract that summer, becoming a key part of Stevie Crawford's side that finished fourth and reached the Premiership play-offs, where they lost to Raith Rovers.

He made 30 appearances and scored one goal - in a victory over eventual Championship title winners, Heart of Midlothian, which put the Pars top of the league - and began the 2021/22 season as captain under Crawford's successor, Peter Grant.

However, after being subbed in a 3-0 home defeat to Partick Thistle - Dunfermline's second league match - Thomas did not start another game until mid-October, when he scored in 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock.

Grant was forced to deny there had been a fall out, amid rumours Thomas wanted to leave the club, but the then manager suggested the player's work rate was behind his absence from the side.

After Grant left and John Hughes took charge, Thomas found himself sidelined for three months after requiring surgery on a meniscus tear in his knee, but still played 31 times in all competitions, scoring five goals.

He was, however, surprisingly left on the bench for both legs of the semi-final with the Spiders, which Dunfermline lost 1-0 on aggregate after Simon Murray's last-minute winner in the second leg at East End.

Thomas becomes the first player to announce he is leaving the club, following manager Hughes, and first team coach, Steven Whittaker, out the exit door.

This season, Thomas was named by the supporters as the Centenary Club Lifeline Player of the Year, and picked up the 'Goal of the Season' award for his strike in a 1-1 derby draw with Raith in October.