PAUL SMITH has expressed his delight after Sean Brain agreed to commit to another season with Bromsgrove Sporting despite attracting heavy interest from Evesham United.
The 20-year-old forward joined Sporting back in September 2014, winning man-of-the-match and scoring on his debut against Alvis Sporting Club, and since then, has blossomed over the past two seasons at the Victoria Ground, ending the 2015/16 Midland League Division One campaign as the club’s top goalscorer with 22 goals in 48 appearances.
Hot-shot Brain has netted 41 times in his two seasons with the Rouslers and his impressive goalscoring record has attracted the attention of Evo-Stik Southern League Division One South & West outfit Evesham.
However, after long discussions with Smith and taking some time to think about his options, the talented striker has agreed today (Tuesday) to commit to another season with Sporting.
Smith said: “It’s brilliant news for the club as Sean is idolised by the fans. He’s been a big part of what we have done with the club over the last few seasons and it was a similar situation to Reece Hewitt moving to Redditch.
“I have been with Reece for five years and on every occasion I gave him advice about moving away and once Redditch came in for him I pushed him to go there as he’s ready to make the step-up.
“I offered the same advice to Sean and told him he wasn’t quite ready to make the move up to a higher level and he needed another 12 months to learn.
“People who watched Sean will agree he can be a world beater but on another day it’s like playing with ten men.
“The time was not right for Sean to move on. He’s sent me a long text saying he’s fully committed to Bromsgrove and the rest of the lads will welcome him back on Saturday with open arms.”
With Sporting agreeing a deal for Chelmsley Town’s 51-goal striker Chris Lloyd, who guided his side to promotion from Midland League Division Two, Smith feels Brain has the perfect opportunity to improve as a player.
“Chris is a brilliant player for Sean to learn his trade from as he’s exactly the same kind of player but just ten years older,” he said.
“Sean can learn a whole lot from Chris. It will be a huge 12 months for the lad as it’s the perfect opportunity to improve as a player.
“If a deal comes in for Sean next season I will be the first to tell him to move on. He’s took my advice on board and I want him to knuckle down once he return to pre-season training on Saturday.”
