Reid signs Robins deal after Telford release

James Reid has taken a “very significant” drop in wages to commit himself to Ilkeston FC until the end of next season.

The talented utility player today signed a new contract after his deal with AFC Telford had been terminated by mutual consent and Kevin Wilson said: “I couldn’t be more pleased.”

He added: “I can’t claim it was particularly difficult to persuade him to sign for us because he has thoroughly enjoyed the last two months here and this is where he wants to be.

“James has shown that with his willingness to take a significant drop in wages and he feels that at this stage in his career, he wants to play part-time football.

“That’s good news for us but like a lot of our lads, at 21 years of age he hasn’t yet missed the boat on a League career. It’s entirely down to him what he want to achieve.”

Reid has already shown his ability to get goals - not least when he scored a thrilling hat-trick to fire the Robins to victory over Sheffield FC - but Wilson is convinced that we still haven’t seen the best of him.

He added: “I think there’s a lot more to come if he applies himself properly and I think it’s a brilliant thing for Ilkeston FC fans that we have James, Sam Duncum and Will McCall on our books.

“They are three lads who really excite me and it’s my job to make sure we use them in a way that brings out the best in them - and benefits the team.”

Reid is the first of Ilkeston FC’s senior players to put pen to paper on a deal that covers next season and the manager said: “That’s a good start and now we have to build on it.”