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Jake Reed: Goalscorer (by Daniel Emery)

Jake Reed: Goalscorer (by Daniel Emery)

Terry Bullen23 Nov 2015 - 19:41
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https://www.lowestofttownfc.co

True goal scorers are hard to come by at any level of the football pyramid; let alone the sixth tier of English football.

Currently in the Vanarama National League North, finding a consistent goal scorer can be an incredibly hard task for Lowestoft Town. However, they already have one. Jake Reed.

The local lad born at the JPH but brought up in Lowestoft has been in superb form in front of goal yet again for Lowestoft Town this season, as he has done in his previous campaigns with the Trawler Boys. Yet, he hasn't been at this level his whole career. He started off in professional football with Dagenham and Redbridge in the Football League having joined them from near neighbours Great Yarmouth Town.

However, things did not quite work out as well as Reed would have wanted, as he scored just one league goal in 31 League Two games. This led to his contract being terminated by mutual consent. Now, this may have been despairing for Reed but turned out to be a blessing for Lowestoft Town as they swooped in to secure the services of the talented young forward.

He joined Lowestoft Town as they were fighting to gain promotion to the Conference league setup for the first time in their history. Reed turned out to be the catalyst for Lowestoft as he scored 20 goals as they were promoted to the club's highest ever tier of English football. His goal in the play-off final probably epitomised his Lowestoft career as he used his strength to hold off the defender before swiveling on the ball and firing it past the keeper to make it 2-0 in their 3-0 win over Hornchurch.

Lowestoft fans were extremely excited coming into the new season and even more confident knowing they had a talent like Jake Reed at the club. This soon changed after it was announced that Lowestoft would be placed in the Northern section of the Conference as it was called then, much to the bemusement and frustration of everyone affiliated with Lowestoft Town FC. This meant every away game would be a long journey, which, for a lot of players, is too much. They have day jobs as well, not everyone can commit to it. Reed couldn't at the time. Reed left the club to join Sudbury and Lowestoft had to start life in the Conference without their main goal threat in the side.

The Reed reprieve was short lived though as he swiftly re-joined the club just a few months later from AFC Sudbury to boost Lowestoft's survival hopes for the season. He ended up playing 35 times for Lowestoft last season, scoring a fairly impressive 13 goals. He also notched up six assists, showing another useful area of his game.

Jake Reed actually helped Lowestoft to lift silverware last season as well. He scored in the final as Lowestoft beat Whitton United 2-1 to lift the Suffolk Premier Cup in front of a retiring Micky Chapman; it was a fitting farewell for the legendary Lowestoft boss as he made his bow from management. It was the 12th time The Trawler Boys had won the trophy and was just the carrot that Lowestoft deserved after a fantastic 2014/15 campaign which saw them reclaim their Conference North status for the following season.

So, coming into the new season, the question was whether the 24-year-old Reed would be able to keep up his goal scoring feats for a second season in the Conference. So far the answer has been, overwhelmingly, yes. In just 19 games this season, he has already accrued nine goals. He is well on course to better his tally from last season with still two thirds of the season to go in the Vanarama National League North division.

What makes Reed so clinical and consistent? Firstly, his movement is superb. It is evident to see that he has played professional football before. He makes intelligent runs in behind defence and he plays the channels well. This movement allows his team-mates to play through balls to him as well as create space for other attacking players to score goals.

Secondly, his control of the ball is one of the best I have seen in non-league football. He can bring the ball out of the air and into his path with relative ease and take it past players as if they were not there. This helps to create the chances in front of goal that he needs to score. It has also won Lowestoft numerous penalties after he has meandered into the box before being too skilful to tackle and ended up being scythed down by a defender or the 'keeper.

Thirdly, his strength. He may not look like the strongest player you will ever face; he may be up there though. His looks are certainly deceiving as we have seen him hold off defenders much bigger than him week-in-week-out for Lowestoft. Strength is paramount to success in non-league football and couple that with the rest of his talents, it is easy to see why he is such a consistent and efficient player for the Blues.

Lastly and probably most importantly, he can finish. It is all good having the aforementioned attributes as a striker but if you can't finish, it is all wasted. Reed has the cool, calm and collected aura you need in front of goal to fire the ball into the back of the net, which he does on a regular basis.

I spoke with Jake ahead of the Stockport County game:
Me: For you personally, has the jump to conference football been harder than expected?
Reed: Errm, it was expected, I knew that it was not going to be easygoing in a tougher Conference because it is a very good standard.

Me: Do you see someone like Jamie Vardy as a role model?

Reed: Yeah! Of course. I would love to be in his boots right now, very good player.

Me: Do you think you can make it back in the professional game?
Reed: Dont know if I am being honest. I think that I'm getting on a bit now, being 24-years-old (Jokingly)

With all this said, lets hope he can get many more goals for the rest of the season. Come on you Blues!

Daniel Emery

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