Hopefully we’ll see Nathan Fox in the first team at Brentford very soon, says proud Cray Wanderers boss Tony Russell

CRAY WANDERERS manager Tony Russell says he is feeling proud that Nathan Fox has left the club to sign for Championship outfit Brentford.

 

The 19-year-old central defender, a former scholar at Norwich City, played 12 games (scoring two goals) for the Ryman League Division One North club but has signed an 18-month development contract at Griffin Park.



 Brentford have signed central defender Nathan Fox, 19, from Ryman League Division One North side Cray Wanderers, where he made 12 appearances, scoring two goals.
Photo: Brentford FC

“We’ve known about it for a couple of weeks and I’m delighted for him personally,” said Russell.

“When I spoke to him on the phone when he first got the news to hear his voice he was getting pretty emotional and he was thanking me and Razor (assistant manager Ray Powell) for everything that we’ve done.

“If we can help anyone, if me and Razor played a tiny part in it, it’s very rewarding on our part and for the club as well. We’re very proud of him.”

Fox joined Norwich City when he was an Under-13 player having previously been on the books of home-town club Chelmsford City.

He completed a two-year scholarship with the East Anglia side but left at the end of last season, just before his 19th birthday.

He started this season at Vanarama National League South side Concord Rangers but opportunities were limited so he dropped down two divisions to play in the Ryman League Division One North for Cray Wanderers.

“He was at Norwich as a youngster and got released,” said Russell.

“Like many kids it can go two ways. You can feel sorry for yourself but he kind of put himself out there and ended up going to Concord Rangers and just wasn’t playing.

“I had a conversation with Flan (Concord Rangers manager Adam Flanagan) a couple of days ago and let Flan know and give him the heads up and he was saying it was a shame really he couldn’t give him the minutes that he wanted in their current situation.

“I know there’s been a few youngsters that have gone to pro-clubs from non-league but there’s very few that have gone from a first-team environment, they usually get pinched from the Academies.

“He’s actually a first-team player so it’s hard.  We’re all judged on results and judged what we do, but sometimes you have to trust a youngster.

“I remember when we won the Ryman One North with VCD we took a seventeen-year-old Barney Williams and he played and ended up getting player-of-the-season and now he’s obviously playing for Welling (in the National League).

“It shows our philosophy, me and Razor that we’re not put off, we’re not deterred by anyone’s age – if they’re good enough, they’re going to play.”

Fox was not on contract at Hayes Lane and becomes the third player to leave the Hayes Lane based club to go on to bigger and better things in recent years, following in the footsteps of striker Jon Main and winger George Porter.

Russell said: “I spoke to someone from the club last night and said what’s the deal?

“I think there’s going to be some on-going compensation if I’m honest.  Brentford have watched a few of our games and the feedback we’ve got from them, they were really impressed with us in terms of the way we do it, the environment we’ve created to bring good young players up.

“We’ve created that in terms of the way we play, in men’s football.

“It suits them to watch players because they need to know if they’re technically good enough and they also need to know if they can deal with the rigmoral of men’s football.

“I know there’s conversations going on, hopefully we can get some kind of partnership going through. If they can make a contribution to the club that would be nice but that’s down to the people upstairs.”

Fox owes his big-chance to Russell and Powell and hard-working striker Leigh Bremner for manning him up on the training ground to be able to cope with the blood and thunder of the Ryman League.

Russell said: “I was really tough with him, like really, really tough with him and I spoke after and explained to him why me and Razor were so hard on him because he’s been pampered at a pro club.

“He was a ball-playing centre half. He needed to be toughened up.  Usually as a coach or as a manager that’s what you have to do and you have to assess what a player needs.

“He’s six foot two, he’s quick as lightening, his recovery tackles are unbelievable and he’s unbelievable on the ball, probably the best I’ve seen on the ball. He can drill the ball 50-yards on a six-pence but one thing he didn’t have, he was too nice as a centre half, so he got bullied in games.

“So every training session we used to do we do a pattern of play and we’ll have Brems on him.

“Bremns was instructed before the sessions to rough him up. He’s back into him.  I remember the first couple of weeks Bremns knocked him over on the floor and he looked at me and said it was a foul and I said no it aint and he was really getting upset and wound up.

“I knew he hated it, he used to literally hate it but as the weeks went on he started to get aggressive back and he was winning his headers and grunting and just bringing that side out of him to be a centre half.

“A couple of times he texted me and said ‘I think you don’t rate me and you’re too hard on me’ and I spoke to him after and said ‘now you realise exactly why we did it.’

“But the good thing about him, he lives in Chelmsford, which is a long way away but he never missed a session, no matter how rough we were with him and how much we moaned at him.

“Me and Razor were really harsh. Before Romford, I knew their forward was big and strong. We said to him in front of everyone after this game we’ll know where we’re at.  You can be a pro in a couple of weeks or playing Sunday League because you have to deal with it, that side of it. 

“I remember (defenders) Joe Vines and Lewis Tozer both joke in the dressing room saying when you’re rich and a famous footballer don’t forget us! We want 10 per cent and things like that. Even though it was a bit of banter we knew how good he was.”

Russell revealed that his current left-back, Grant Basey, 27, who started his six-year professional career at Charlton Athletic, is keen to mentor Fox as he kick-starts his professional career.

Russell said: “I know he’s very close with Grant Basey, who was a pro and those two talk a lot.  I spoke to Grant yesterday and he had a really good conversation with young Nathan.

“The best bit of advice is no-one works harder to be a pro and (Grant told him) once I was a pro I couldn’t wait to get off the training ground and on to a golf course.  The lesson there to be learnt there is ‘once you’re there, work even harder.’ That’s invaluable advice.

“Nathan said to me and Grant ‘would it be alright if I stayed in contact and keep getting some advice?’.  That’s what he’s like. He’s a very humble lad and all the club are very proud of him.

“If we can help him, if me or Grant or anyone at the club, we will help him and hopefully we’ll see him in the first team at Brentford very soon.”

Robert Rowan, head of football operations at Brentford FC, told www.brentfordfc.co.uk : “We are really pleased to have signed Nathan after a successful trial with the Development Squad. He’s made a great impression on all the staff due to his performances in training and the way he’s conducted himself throughout the trial period.

“He’s a versatile player who can play at right back or centre back and has come through the academy system at Norwich City.

“He’s got himself back into professional football now after a short spell at a couple of non-league clubs and it’s very important that he maintains the professionalism and commitment to development that he’s shown over the past week in order to progress to the next level which is the first team at Brentford Football Club."

Russell, meanwhile, has acted quickly to replace Fox by signing former Grays Athletic central defender Jay Leader, who makes his debut for second-placed Cray Wanderers at basement side Waltham Abbey tomorrow.

“I have been a big fan of Jay Leader for some time,” said Russell.

“I first tried to sign him when I was at VCD but he ended up going to Grays and I remember being gutted about it!

“With the way we play, it’s hard to find centre halves who can defend well plus be really good on the ball and he ticks both boxes.

“I’m not sure you will see many better pairings in the Ryman League than Jay Leader and Ben Payne but time will tell.”

Visit Cray Wanderers’ website:  www.cray-wanderers.com