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For whenever Northwood dips into the transfer market he plucks, apparently from nowhere, a player of rich promise.

When Northwood unleashed the hugely talented Phil Gee on an unsuspecting Gresley public at the start of the season, the experts were doubting whether such a masterstroke could ever be repeated.

Gee, of course, was whisked away with astonishing haste after only six games to become a full-time professional with Derby County and Gresley, almost overnight, became richer by £2,500 with the promise of more to come.

Now, it seems, Northwood may have struck another rich vein of talent from which the club may profit at the bank in the form of goalkeeper Carl Austin.

Austin has so far made only three appearances for Gresley, but it is already clear that he is a player of massive potential.

The former Stafford Rangers player has prospered to a certain extent by coming into a team at the peak of its form.

Yet in each of the games he has played he has produced vital saves at vital moments and his three clean sheets are due as much to his own efforts as those of the players in front of him.

Austin was particularly impressive at Armitage last Saturday. Although Rovers romped to a remarkable 8 – 0 win they still needed their latest signing to make two very important saves.

The first, from Dave Keen header of power and precision, came when the scores were level. The second from Andy Griffiths, prevented the home side from fighting their way back into the game with the score 2 – 0 in Gresley’s favour.

An interested onlooker at that game was Rovers’ reserve team manager John Wayte, himself a former goalkeeper who once had a lengthy spell as first-team regular for Burton Albion in the Northern Premier League.

Wayte said: “He had a tremendous game, a couple of saves he had to make couldn’t have been bettered anywhere.

“Generally, he looks to be a very good keeper. He is a good talker, which defenders like and he organises everything in the penalty area. I was also impressed with his kicking. Against the wind the Armitage lad was struggling to get the ball out of his own half, which immediately put them under pressure, but Carl didn’t seem to have any problems at all.”

Northwood, not surprisingly, was in a euphoric mood after watching another of his signings living up to expectations.

The Gresley boss said; “I knew after the Boxing Day game at Atherstone when we lost 5 – 3 that we needed a new keeper.

“Martin McNamara has done a good job for us, but his consistency of the early season has gone.”
Defender Steve Dolby was also impressed by the form of his new colleague. “Probably the best keeper I’ve seen in years, was the verdict of the player who lined up with players of the calibre of Barry Allcock and Paul Evans in his Burton Albion days.