National League side Gateshead FC have signed striker Sonny Fish on loan from League Two side Crawley Town, as confirmed via a statement on the club’s website.
The 20-year-old striker joins on a loan deal until the end of the season with Gateshead taking over his loan spell from National League South side Welling United.
Fish came through the ranks at Leyton Orient FC before joining Crawley Town this summer after a successful trial period at the club. During his time at Crawley Fish has spent time on loan at Worthing, Tonbridge Angels, and Welling before moving up north to join The Heed on loan.
How Have Fish’s Loan Spells Turned Out?
Fish has shown improvement as the season has gone on. During his first loan spell of the season with Worthing he managed one goal in six games, and at Tonbridge, he managed just one goal as well but in 10 games.
Once Fish made the move to Welling the evident improvement began to show, with the striker scoring six times in 10 games, helping Welling pull themselves out of the relegation battle at the bottom of the division.
Gateshead have also announced the signing of defender Will Johnson from League One side Fleetwood Town, as confirmed via a statement on the club’s website.
The 18-year-old defender joins the club on a loan deal until the end of the season after Cambridge defender Mamadou Jobe was recalled from The Heed.
Johnson has come through the ranks at Fleetwood Town, working his way up to the first team where he made his debut this season. during the 2022/23 season, Johnson also spent time on loan with lower league side Marine, which was his first step into senior football.
Johnson’s Fleetwood Debut By Numbers
Johnson made his debut this season in the EFL trophy against Championship leaders Leicester City, where he played out 45 minutes in which he managed to get on the scoresheet. During the game Johnson showed off his defensive ability, with the teenager managing to make three tackles, as well as three interceptions and two recoveries, showing his ability to read the game and stay defensively strong.
One area of improvement for Johnson could be his pass accuracy, only completing 59% of his pass attempts, but with the opposition being high calibre and the National League being of a lower standard it could be deceptive to his passing ability.
Will Gateshead’s New Duo Help Secure Them Playoffs?
With Jobe being recalled they had to look to replace him, and Johnson is a very good replacement. A leader at youth level who adds mobility to their back line, Johnson looks to be a strong addition to the side.
Fish also looks to be a good pickup if he continues his form from Welling. With Dinanga being one of the best forwards in the National League on his day and Dajuane Brown scoring goals for fun at the moment, it will take some top performances for Fish to make the striker role his own, but he adds to an already impressive forward line who I feel will be in a great position to make the playoffs now.