The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Ross Watson
Three more quality signings have been added to the Holbeach United squad – with the promise of more imminently.
Defender Ross Watson, striker/defender Danny Spencer and goalkeeper Luke Pickering have all agreed terms.
Tigers co-manager Graham Drury is delighted with the captures as he and John Chand build a squad capable of challenging for the United Counties League Premier Division title.
Watson (25) has played for Yaxley, Rushden and Diamonds, Cambridge City, Blackstones and Stamford.
He then made more than 100 appearances for King’s Lynn Town before joining AFC Sudbury last September. He joined Spalding United in January.
“Ross is a player I’ve admired for a long time. I’ve tried to sign him a few times in the past and I’ve been chasing him for the last three weeks,” said Drury. “He likes what John and I are trying to do at Holbeach and he’s exactly the type of player we need.”
Spencer (32) is also an ex-King’s Lynn Town player, who has Conference North experience with Nuneaton and then Solihull as recently as the 2012/13 season.
Last season he was with Barwell in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League and elected to sign for the Tigers ahead of offers from Southern League Bedworth United and Quorn in the Midlands Football Alliance.
Spencer told The Voice: “It looks a nice set-up at Carter’s Park and I was really encouraged by what Graham said – he really sold the club to me.
“The way they want to do things is professional and I’m looking forward to getting started there in a couple of weeks.”
Spencer is pencilled in as a striker but is a useful centre-half and left-back too.
And the Tigers have strengthened their goalkeeping options with Pickering (19), who was part of the Oadby Town side which won the United Counties League Division One title last season.
Drury rates the teenager highly and believes the Tigers could be a good platform for him to continue building his confidence after the setback of being released by Leicester City Academy at 16.
Pickering said: “I was doing well but then got refused a scholarship because they believed I was too short.
“I’m young and trying to play at the highest level and I believe Holbeach is a big step for my future.”
Drury is happy to give Pickering a platform to keep improving.
“I’ve got really high hopes for Luke,” he said. “He was obviously a bit down about the situation at Leicester but lads are still growing at that age and I think he’ll do very well for us.”
