Felixstowe & Walton United FC

Seasiders stun with double signing

The Seasiders have pulled off a major transfer coup with the double signing of AFC Sudbury pair Joe Whight and Billy Holland. Former Ipswich Town Pro and Sudbury Captain Whight brings huge experience to the Goldstar Ground and will be a key addition to the Felixstowe defence alongside recent signing Curtley Williams. Midfielder Holland has spent the last four years at Sudbury after joining from Needham Market and will further boost the options in central midfield for Seasiders boss Stuart Boardley, already buoyed by the signing of Josh Hitter from Leiston.

“We are delighted to have got both Joe and Billy to the football club, two players I have admired from a distance for quite some time. I helped sign Billy whilst at Leiston when he came over there for a short spell back in his Ipswich Wanderers days so I know him well. With Joe its fantastic to get him here, a big thanks has to go to the Felixstowe Chairmen for supporting me and Andy (Crump) in terms of the recruitment process which is fantastic, and most importantly it shows a real desire and ambition as a football club to move things forward and put us in the right direction, this club is only going one way and with the signings of these two lads I really think we can push on and give this season a real go, and make a push towards those playoffs”. Boardley went on to say. “Billy will bring a left sided balance to our midfield and can play in either the 4, the 8 or the 10 in the centre of midfield which gives us flexibility in there and more balance, he’s a fit lad and is now at that stage in his career where he has played a lot of games at this level and really wants to kick on and win things, which is where his ambitions aligned with ours. With Joe we have got ourselves a player with an unbelievable left foot, he’s a centre half who can handle the ball and who can play out from the back, which is exactly what we want to do and that gives us again that left sided balance at the back that we’ve been striving for. He is a warrior of a defender, who will put his head in anywhere and is a real leader by example on the pitch”.

Both players were keen to heap praise on their former club, with Billy Holland remarking. “Sudbury of course have had a change of Manager, this move is nothing against those guys (Rick Andrews & Angelo Harrop) I had a good chat with them and I feel there’s going to be great things going on at Sudbury, but I just felt that at this point in my career it’s time for a change, I’ve been at Sudbury for a few years now, but I Like what’s going on at Felixstowe, it’s a good group of players and it feels right to come on board here. I don’t jump ship unless I know where I am going to is exciting for me, that’s exactly how I feel about coming here”.

Joe Whight was equally full of praise for his former club. “I’ve got nothing bad to say about Sudbury, this isn’t one of those moves where you just pack up and leave, it was a really difficult decision. Speaking to the management team here was the main reason for me coming over, they had really good things to say about the whole club, and I’ve always heard good things myself from other players and people who have been here, it got me excited to want to be here and to get to where they want to be”.

Joe Whight (Centre Left), Billy Holland (Centre Right) with Stuart Boardley and Andy Crump