Daryl McMahon has made his second signing of the week by concluding a deal today for Whitehawk midfielder Sam Deering. The player arrives for a nominal fee on a permanent contract to the end of this season, with an option to extend.
Another star performer at National League South level, the 25-year-old Londoner was a youth player with Chelsea, Charlton Athletic and Oxford United, breaking into the Us first-team as a 17-year-old in 2008. He played in the 2010 Conference promotion final to help Oxford back into the Football League, earning England C honours in the process, before making a move to Barnet in 2011 where he played alongside Jordan Parkes.
After turning down a new contract, Deering moved west to Cheltenham Town and played in another Wembley showpiece as Cheltenham contested the 2013 League Two promotion final. In all, he played more than 150 times in the Football League before signing for Whitehawk in 2014 and, alongside John Paul Kissock, guiding them to the Conference South promotion final last season.
An attacking player with flair who is excellent with the ball at his feet, Deering has shown on numerous occasions against the Fleet what a torment he can be for defences. He scored 28 goals in 75 games for Whitehawk.
In related news, Craig Braham-Barrett’s loan at the Enclosed Ground is confirmed to the end of the season and he will be joined by Michael West who returns to Sussex for a second spell with the Hawks, again until the end of the season.
Fleet boss McMahon told FleetOnline, “Sam’s another player with obvious qualities to strengthen us in certain areas going into this crucial final period. He’s been involved in promotion races at this and higher levels and he’ll add another dimension for us.”
Vice chairman Peter Varney commented, “I’m aware with this signing and that of Nathan Ashmore that our fans may have been alerted to news that had filtered on to social media. We are reluctant to make deals public until we are satisfied that everything is complete at our end but endeavour where possible to get this information to our supporters first.”
