South Shields head coach Mike Williamson has praised one of his summer signings ahead of the new National League North season.

South Shields FC head coach Mike Williamson believes new signing Toby Onanaye has the ‘perfect mentality’ to succeed during his time at Mariners Park.

The former Leicester City academy midfielder joined the Mariners earlier this summer following his departure from the League One newcomers and has quickly shown why South Shields had to fight off competition from elsewhere to secure his services. The 20-year-old has impressed throughout pre-season fixtures against Sunderland Under-21s, Harrogate Town and Blyth Town with a calm and composed style that has caught the eye. Williamson believes the youngster has already displayed several qualities that can help him thrive in the National League North as he prepares for his first season at Mariners Park.

South Shields midfielder Toby Onanaye (photo Kevin Wilson) | Kevin Wilson

placeholder image — South Shields midfielder Toby Onanaye (photo Kevin Wilson) | Kevin Wilson

He told The Gazette: “Toby is someone that has come into the football club and has shown he is hungry to learn every single day. He wants to embrace the opportunity he has been given here and he is already showing signs of buying into what we are asking of him on and off the pitch. He has the perfect mentality, he displays a lot of very positive qualities and I think he has a very high ceiling so I am very excited to see where we can get him to during his time with the club.”

Concepts

South Shields head coach Mike Williamson (photo Kevin Wilson) | South Shields

As well as handing game-time to his new signings, Williamson has continued to provide opportunities for several Mariners academy players throughout pre-season and several of those prospects have impressed in recent weeks. The Mariners boss has expressed his determination to create a clear pathway from youth ranks to the first-team and is excited by what lies ahead at every level of the club.

He said: “When I came in, the plan was to try and create a game model throughout the academy and the lads have trained a good amount with us to see the concepts we are putting in place. We have some very good young players in the club and we are really excited to see what we can bring out of them in the future.”

The Mariners are back in action on Tuesday night when they visit National League neighbours Gateshead.

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