Jake Hesketh Signs!
The club is delighted announce that former Southampton & Eastleigh attacking midfielder, Jake Hesketh, has signed a contract with the Boatmen.
Since his release from Eastleigh, Jake has been the hottest free agent in southern Non League football and we have beaten a host of other clubs to acquire his services. The 27 year old put pen to paper with Dave Diaper yesterday and is buzzing to get started.
Jake said : "I am really happy to be here! I watched the Play-off games and spoke to a few people at the club and they all really sold it to me. I'm looking forward to starting pre-season and getting going to help the Boatmen to push on in our new challenge at Step 3 football"
Dave Diaper was over the moon with the signing : "Jake is a very significant acquisition for the club and I thank all involved with making it happen. He of course brings great quality, but also he adds a level of professionalism and experience which can only benefit the rest of the squad. He'd fallen a little out of love for the game, but after watching our play-offs and spending some time at the club, he recognised what we have here is something special, with a team spirit like no other and he wanted to be a part of it"
Sholing Chairman, Gerry Roberts said : "This is a massive signing for us and demonstrates our ambitions for the new season when we play in the Southern Premier for the first time. Signing a player of Jake's quality will send ripples through non-league football and it will show we are not just here to make up the numbers"
"Our supporters & local businesses can play their part in backing the Boatmen by taking advantage of the excellent Early Bird Season ticket offer (10 home games for free for the adult price of just £138!, click here) and by taking up one of the many sponsorship packages available"
"We are always on the look out for more matchday volunteers, be they stewards, tannoy announcers, videographers and bar staff. Please get in touch if you want to get involved in our exciting future"
For Season Tickets & Sponsorship, please contact : Claire Paine - sponsor@sholingfc.com - 07887 778266
Jake Hesketh Profile:
Jake was first spotted by Southampton FC at the age of 7 and stayed with the club through the Academy structure until he signed a 3 year professional contract in 2014. During his time in the Academy, he showed his eye for a goal by being highest scorer for the U18's and he caught the attention of then manager, Ronald Koeman, who promoted him to the first team squad.
Hesketh made his first team debut for Saints in December 2014 at home to Manchester United, coming on as sub for the legendary, Dusan Tadic. The following week, he made his first start in a Premier League game at Burnley. The arrival of Claude Puel boosted his first team chances and in 2016 he scored in the League Cup against Crystal Palace and made an appearance in the Uefa Europa League. He signed a new 4 year contract with Saints, but the high turnover of managers at St Mary's, saw him go on loan at several clubs for first team experience.
He played first for Burton Albion, scoring a wonder goal at Fratton Park against Portsmouth and would score twice more in a 23 game spell. Jake then had loan spells at MK Dons, Lincoln City & Crawley Town before his Saints contract expired and he was picked up by Eastleigh FC. He made 60 appearances, scoring 6 times in two seasons with the Spitfires before looking for a new challenge and being snapped up by Sholing.
