Fleetwood Town manager, Graham Alexander, has begun his summer recruitment with the signing of former York City player, Matty Blair.
By David MitchellFleetwood Town manager, Graham Alexander, has begun his summer recruitment with the signing of former York City player, Matty Blair.
'I'm delighted to sign Matty and he can't wait to start. He's been on our radar for a while and we've had a good discussion with him last week about his ambitions in football as well as ours. He's a player with bags of potential and one who is hungry to build on his one season in the Football League with York City.'
The pacy, right-sided Blair has already impressed the Cod Army as part of Kidderminster, York and England C teams and joins on a two-year deal.
'He's quick and a bundle of energy who I could see playing anywhere across midfield. He's also a goal scorer and that's going to be a big boost in an area that caused problems for us last season.'
'We've done our homework on him and have heard nothing but positives. One aspect which impresses me is that Matty buys into the team ethic and that, to me, is very important.'
The 23 year-old has already been in touch with former Kidderminster team-mate Jamille Matt:
'It helps you settle in when there is a familiar face,' says Alexander. ' Jamille and Matty will be two key players in our squad and will have plenty of opportunity to link up again.'
With 93 games under his belt during his two-year York contract, and 19 goals, Blair is looking forward to starting his summer holiday on Thursday with business completed:
'Matty needs a good rest,' added Alexander. 'His good playing record at York bodes well for his level of fitness and I 'm a big believer in ensuring that those who have completed a lot of match time get a proper chance to recover.'
Having ticked off the first player on the shopping list, there is no let up for Alexander and his management team:
'We are working hard to get the right players in to the football club. it's not a scattergun approach because we need to ensure good quality to create the competition that we need in our squad. It all takes time and the process can be both frustrating and exciting.'
