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BLUES SIGN RIECE BERTRAM      BY ROB MCNEIL     4 HOURS AGO

 Long Eaton United FC are delighted to announce the signing of Riece Bertram from Basford United. The midfielder/defender watched on from the stands during the Blues’ 2-1 victory over Pontefract Collieries last weekend, then he put pen to paper and joined up with the Blues for training in mid-week.31-year-old Bertram has vast experience playing in the Pitching In Northern Premier League; having featured for teams including Basford United, Ilkeston Town, Belper Town, Carlton Town and Matlock Town.

The towering tough-tackling defensive midfielder adds depth and versatility into the Blues’ squad, as Bertram can also comfortably slot in as a central defender. Commenting on his arrival, first-team manager, Ian Deakin said: “When he became available – I got in touch with him as soon as I could, because I knew he would add a physicality to our side – he is good in the air, a natural leader, a great character, and he is local to us, so he understands what the football club means to the community and the people of Long Eaton. “He adds valuable experience and knows some of the lads already, so he will be able to integrate well with them, and his leadership qualities will be extremely useful for the lads – he is a fighter and he has the kind of mentality that I want in my team.

“Riece made the switch to Basford [United] at the start of the season, but it has not quite worked out in terms of his minutes on the pitch, but coming to Long Eaton and back into this league, he will be able to help guide a few of the younger players in the squad, so he will be massively beneficial. ”Bertram will be well known throughout the footballing scene within Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, especially in Belper – in a play-off match against Chasetown back in May 2021, the defensive midfielder netted the winner in a 1-0 victory to secure Belper’s promotion into the Northern Premier League Premier Division for the first time in the clubs’ history. Knowing what Bertram can bring to his squad and do on the football pitch, Deakin added: “He has been through this before, after a successful promotion with Belper [Town] last year, and that is of course fresh in his memory – he in fact played up front there, and he was able to drag his side through to help them ultimately win the game. “He adds variation to the squad, through his ability to play anywhere really on the pitch – he is a natural footballer and the experience he has makes him invaluable. Whether he starts in defence, midfield, or even in a number nine role, I know he will always leave everything out on the pitch, which is a massive bonus for us. “I have got some leaders in the team, but they are getting on in years and sometimes the fitness levels mean they cannot play week in, week out, but Riece is a bit of a hybrid of that, with his experience and his leadership qualities, he will be able to consistently have more minutes on the pitch. “We are glad to have him at the club, hopefully he will hit the ground running and add that extra bit of quality that we need in the squad to enable us to push on and get some big results this season.”The Blues’ newest edition will be available for selection during our away fixture against high-flyers Stockton Town on Saturday 3rd December.