Fenelon relishes coming back home to Crawley

He hopes to establish himself as a good Football League player after being released by Brighton & Hove Albion.

Fenelon, 20, said: “This season will be my first full season in the Football League as I have only played bit-parts up to now.

“I am looking to score a few goals and help Crawley reach the play-offs.

“Playing in front of my home town adds a bit more atmosphere and interest.

“It will be very exciting as there will be friends and family in the crowd and it will be an extra incentive to do well.

“I met Mark Yates a few weeks ago, my agent met him and we were both impressed and I had a think about it and decided to come to Crawley.

“I had a few offers from other League Two clubs and also from the Republic of Ireland, as I have played for their under-21s.”

Fenelon made three appearances for the Seagulls and continued his football development with spells on loan at Tonbridge Angels and Torquay United, making 12 League Two appearances for the Plainmoor club and scoring his first league goal against Chesterfield.

Last season he played for Rochdale, making four appearances, League Two Tranmere Rovers, for whom scored two goals in ten starts, and Dagenham & Redbridge.

He has also made one appearance for the Republic of Ireland under-21s, debuting in a European Championship qualifier against Andorra earlier this year.

Fenelon enjoyed getting some Football League experience last season while out on loan.

He said: “On loan you get the feel of senior football and gave me a better experience than playing for Brighton under-21s, where no-one watches.”

Fenelon reckons his experience playing for Crawley Town’s youth teams was a good preparation for more serious training at the Brighton youth set-up.

Fenelon played for Crawley Town youth for five years from under-nines to under-14s.

He said: “Playing for Crawley Town’s youth teams was one of my happiest times. It definitely helped me to progress.

“The coaches helped me a lot - Andy Roberts and Sonny Weston did a lot for me.”

Fenelon then joined Brighton’s academy and remained at the Seagulls for five years during which he signed on as a full-time apprentice.

He said: “I did a BTEC in Sport at college on Thursdays and the rest of the week was football.

“The college side will be good for when I finish football - but for me I always wanted a career as a footballer.”

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