Rye agree Atkin signing

Former Eastbourne Borough striker Andy Atkin has agreed to join the Quarterboys ahead of the 2012/13 Sussex County Football League Division One season.

Rye manager Scott Price said: “It’s massive; I’m delighted to have him. His record speaks for itself. He’s played at the highest level of non-league football and scored goals there. He’s scored goals wherever he’s played really.”

Atkin signed for Borough from Eastbourne United AFC in 2005 and went on to make 216 appearances for the Sports, scoring 60 goals, including 30 in their Blue Square South promotion-winning season of 2007/08.

A tall figure and very strong in the air, Atkin also netted a hat-trick in the Blue Square Premier at Woking in 2008/09 and two goals against York City the following campaign.

The 31-year-old, who took part in Rye’s opening training session on Saturday, spent the latter part of the 2010/11 season at Sussex Division Two club Bexhill United before joining Division One side Redhill last term.

Price is intending to play Atkin up-front alongside Sam Adams and thinks “even in the league above you’ll struggle to find a better partnership than those two”.

See tomorrow’s Rye Observer for the full article.