Robins allow Waite to join County

17-year old striker signs for npower League One side

Tyrell Waite, Ilkeston FC’s talented young striker, has committed his future to Notts County.

Waite, who will be 18 in July, created a big impression with Magpies’ boss Keith Curle during a recent trial at Meadow Lane, and when the chance came for him to make the step up, the Robins felt they couldn’t stand in his way.

Said chairman Dave Mantle: “To be honest, the deal is not ideal from our point of view because there’s no up-front payment involved but Kevin Wilson and I felt that it wouldn’t be fair to stand in Tyrell’s way.

“We could have rejected their approach and held out in the hope that another club would eventually pay a fee for him. But Tyrell was keen to go to County and after giving it a lot of thought, we decided we wanted to be fair to him.

“We said when we set up the club some 18 months ago that our model would be based on discovering and developing young players and hopefully giving them a future in football, and it speaks volumes for our Academy that one of our lads has broken through so quickly.

“We’re delighted for Tyrell. He deserves his chance because he has worked very hard for it and hopefully he will be the first of many to emerge from our Academy and sign for a League club.”

The financial deal is based on appearance bonuses if Waite breaks through to the first team, plus a sell-on clause. County will also play a pre-season friendly at the New Manor Ground for the next two years, with Ilkeston FC keeping the proceeds.

Added the chairman: “It’s only right that I should pay tribute to Kevin Wilson and Darren Caskey for the work they’ve done with Tyrell and the clear message it sends out to good young players and their parents is that joining the Ilkeston FC Academy can be the stepping stone to big things.”

Waite, who will forever have a place in Ilkeston FC history as the first player ever to score a League goal for them, has ironically not been a regular in their promotion-chasing team this season.

But he still did enough to get the scouts flocking to the New Manor Ground and has also attracted firm attention this season from the likes of Nottingham Forest, Reading, Birmingham City and Burnley.

Kevin Wilson said: “We promised Tyrell when he signed his new contract that we wouldn’t stand in his way if a firm offer came in for him and have stuck to our word. He’s a very talented boy who has made tremendous progress during his time with us and I really hope he goes on to make his mark in League football.”

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