Whitley have agreed terms with defender Thomas Bott and he will become the Club’s second signing of the summer. Thomas had a short spell at Hillheads in 2014, making 12 appearances and scoring one goal, the opener in the League Cup Quarter Final 3-2 victory over Bishop Auckland. He started last season at Ryhope CW before moving to Bishop Auckland with former Bay boss Ian Chandler.
Manager Nathan Haslam worked with Bott at Marske United and knows the player well. “He’s a player I signed from Whitley Bay for Marske United and he did very well for us that season when we won the League. He then moved on to Ryhope. He’s one of those players who’s got a winning mentality purely because he’s won the League. He’s got the experience there and I think as far as Whitley Bay are concerned the fans are going to see a different player from the one they saw five years ago. He’s more experienced now, his game is more complete and he gives us that aggression that I think we need in the squad going forward. He’s 6’3’’tall and in great shape. He’s really good on the deck as well so I’m excited to be working with him again, and he’s keen to come back here. In fact it took some persuading for me to get him to leave here and go to Marske.”
