Gem is great prospect, says Atkins

Matlock Town reckon they’ve found a gem in young striker Joe Leesley.

Leesley has hit four goals in a productive preseason for the Gladiators and manager Mark Atkins has not only signed him but put the 18-year-old on contract terms, the paperwork being completed after Wednesday night’s narrow 1-0 loss to a Sheffield United XI.

The striker was at Winterton Rangers in the Baris Northern Counties East League Premier Division last season before being offered a two week trial at Bradford City’s Valley Parade. Atkins, who first tried to sign the striker last season, believes the Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division club have uncovered a real rough diamond to work on polishing up.

"He's an unknown quantity at eighteen years old who's done well, works very hard and has scored some cracking goals," said Atkins. "While he's still raw, we also feel there's enough potential there and we can turn him into a very good player."

Leesley looks to already be forging a useful partnership with the experienced Lee Ellington, the pair linking effectively in the 5-0 rout of Hucknall and then in last Friday's 2-0 win at Ossett Albion.

Ellington put Matlock in front on 15 minutes and then fed Leesley an astute pass which he smacked home with a spectacular strike seven minutes before the interval.

"They've done very well together," Atkins explained. "Lee has seen it and done it, he knows Non-League and Lee Ellington will score goals for us. But he also works hard and his build up play is good, so he's not just a very good goalscorer."

The Gladiators have bagged sixteen goals in their seven preseason outings to date and the manager believes competition for starting places is now hotting up ahead of their opener against Nantwich at the Reynolds Stadium next Saturday.

He added: "The idea is to utilise the big squad we have and we'll be working on certain things. We've got two players for each position and I'll be seeing who can best adapt to what we're trying to do. Jon Kennedy's a certain starter but everyone else knows that one bad game could see them out of the team.

"They need to be on their toes, that's a good thing and it's probably the first time since I've been here that we've managed to be in this sort of position. The new lads have shown a great appetite, in fact everyone's worked hard."