History-making debut for teen star

Shaquille Leachman-Whittingham made history at Coalville Town on Saturday when he became the first ever academy player to feature in a first team game for EVO-STIK Northern Premier League Tividale.

Leachman-Whittingham, pictured, replaced new signing Jean-Michel Gueyes with nine minutes to play of the 2-2 draw in Leicestershire while fellow academy graduate Desean Martin was an unused substitute in the First Division South clash.

The 17-year-old was delighted to feature in Ian Long’s side against the Ravens after both he and Martin signed first team forms at The Beeches prior to Christmas Day.

He said: "It was fantastic to get onto the field. This is a very high level of football and it will take time for me to settle down.

"The lads and coaching staff have been great with me and Desean since we’ve been in and around the first team squad."

But the striker was disappointed that Tivi conceded late on, meaning they had to settle for a point on the day after leading for long periods.

"It was a great game," said Martin. "Nigel Penney got the two goals for us and I thought we’d see it through. When you concede late on like that there’s an air of disappointment but we’ve taken seven points from nine over Christmas and New Year so we can be satisfied with our work."

The academy product is now hoping for more game time in the near future after making his first senior appearance from the bench.

He added: "I need to continue working hard and more minutes on the field are likely to come my way. We are still involved in two cup competitions and therefore opportunities will arise.

"Both myself and Desean [Martin] appreciate the way the club has helped us in the past month, so we’d like to place on record our sincere thanks to everyone at Tividale Football Club."

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