AFC Telford United complete the signing of former Panamanian Premier League defender
AFC Telford United have completed the signing of defender Oliver Cawthorne on a short-term deal.
The 23-year-old has been training with the Bucks in recent weeks, and after impressing manager Kevin Wilkin, he has signed a deal until the end of the current campaign.
The Venezuelan-born youngster, who is a right-footed centre-back, most recently played for Alianza - a side based in Panama City - has Staffordshire family connections.
Standing at more than six feet tall, Wilkin feels he can develop under him in Shropshire.
"He's been in and trained with us and played in the Premier League in the Panamanian system," the boss said. "He's come back over here, and he’s a good age; he’s 23, and he's shown up pretty well in training. We've seen him in small-sided games and the bits and pieces within training, and he's shown enough there for me to think that he's worth persevering with.
“As a defender, it’s important they can do the ‘nasty bits’ of heading it and kicking it, and he's certainly shown good quality on that front, based on what we've seen so far. We’re quite excited to see what he can do once we hopefully get him into full games.”
The Bucks had to wait for the FA to notify them that Cawthorne's international clearance had come through, which it now has, and he will be available for selection this weekend when they welcome Sudbury to Shropshire.
