Tamworth have clinched their eighth signing of the summer in the form of Fleetwood Town’s George Morrison on a season-long loan, but what can the supporters expect from their latest addition?
In the start of a brand new analysis series, I will be taking a closer look at Tamworth’s newest addition in more detail as well as focussing on the type of player he is, how he fared last season and what the move could do for their National League preparations.
Andy Peaks’ side took the National League North by storm last season in what was their first season back in the sixth tier after they won the seventh tier title in the season prior. Despite coming up against significantly bigger sides like Scunthorpe United and Boston United, Tamworth won the division.
Morrison makes it signing number eight for Tamworth since their promotion into the National League, joining the likes of Chris Wreh, Haydn Hollis and Kai Lissimore ahead of the new season.
Who is George Morrison?
The 18-year-old joins Tamworth from League Two side Fleetwood Town, having spent six months on loan at National League North side King’s Lynn Town last season.
Morrison is also a Scottish youth international, having scored once in six appearances for Scotland’s U18s.
In terms of his first-team experience before last season, Morrison has made just one appearance for Fleetwood Town which came as a late substitute against Oxford City during an FA Cup clash in November 2022.
How did he fare at King’s Lynn Town?
Upon signing for the NL North side in October 2023, Morrison played a variety of roles for King’s Lynn and managed a total of 34 league appearances, with two goals and two assists to his tally. He missed just one match for the club which was a direct result of receiving five yellow cards, including one against Tamworth.
However, Morrison would have been of familiarity to Tamworth after he picked up an assist from central midfield against them during a 1-1 draw in March.
To further piece together how successful he was at the club, I spoke to King’s Lynn Town’s Head of Media Travis Wright who simply stated…
“Unreal player. Proper box to box midfielder, scores goals, very creative & physical.”
Morrison ended the season by winning King’s Lynn Town’s Young Player of the Season award at their awards night.
What sort of player have Tamworth signed?
Working alongside our sister site BackOTN, we learned that Morrison is predominantly a box-to-box midfielder based on the impressive nature of his duel wins, interceptions and dribbles completed although he does have the capability to feature as a number six, providing there is a more natural defensive midfielder alongside him.
In terms of his defensive duels, Morrison won an eye-catching 11.3 per 90 minutes which ranks him as number one across both the National League North and South from the 2023/24 campaign.
He also won 65.19% of his defensive duels as well as 3.88 interceptions (162 across his time at King’s Lynn) and 11.77 successful defensive actions per 90 minutes.
However, it wasn’t just his defensive statistics that impressed, as he also managed four goal contributions and 74 successful dribbles across his matches in the National League North last season.
Where is he likely to fit in?
Manager Andy Peaks finished the 2023/24 season by using a 4-2-3-1 system, which brought them back-to-back promotions so far and have several midfielders at their disposal heading into the National League campaign.
I’d expect Morrison to start from the get-go, likely competing against the likes of Kai Lissimore and Tom Tonks for a start ahead of their season opener against newly-relegated Sutton United.
Tamworth typically uses a target man and like to focus on defensive stability in their system, which explains why a box-to-box midfielder with high defensive numbers like Morrison was essential to their recruitment.
Verdict:
I think this is a terrific piece of business from Andy Peaks’ side and after a slow start to the window, their last three signings have now filled me with much more confidence that they won’t struggle in the National League this season.
Morrison adds plenty of defensive strength to Tamworth, further boosting the spine of the squad which will play a significant factor in dictating whether the club have enough to survive or not.
Whether they manage to stay up or not is an entirely different conversation, but as signings go – this one has certainly impressed me.