Bristol City have announced via club media the signing of attacking midfielder Josh Stokes from Vanarama National League side Aldershot Town on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The move sees Stokes become the Shots’ club-record sale and, as part of the deal, he will go back to Hampshire on loan until the end of the season. Additionally, a friendly will be arranged between the two sides as part of the agreement.
The transfer means that Stokes has climbed six tiers of the English football pyramid in less than a year as he spent last season playing for eighth-tier club AFC Sudbury. He would help the club to second in the Isthmian North Division, losing out in a title fight to Hashtag United.
The Shots signed the 19-year-old for an undisclosed fee in the summer and he took to the National League like a duck to water, scoring 13 times in 27 appearances from midfield.
Stokes has also been a key component of the Aldershot side which reached the FA Cup third round this season. The number ten recorded five goal contributions in three games as the fifth-tier side beat the likes of Stockport County and Swindon Town before going on to lose against West Brom in the third round.
Aldershot have been a surprise package for some this season as many predicted them to finish well inside the bottom half of the table. Instead, they currently find themselves in tenth place and just one point outside of the playoffs.
Stokes returning to the club is a huge bonus for the Shots, and they could potentially creep in to the play-off positions with the midfielder in top form.
The money which Aldershot will gain from the sale will be invaluable to Tommy Widdrington and his team if they want to push into the playoff places. The former King’s Lynn Town manager has already shown his ability to recruit well, having signed the likes of Stokes and Lorent Tolaj in the summer, and this extra chunk of cash should allow him to complete more shrewd pieces of business.
Writer’s View
Stokes’ career trajectory has been quite remarkable and a loan back to the National League should do him the world of good. It will allow him to have a full season in a settled environment whilst playing full-time football and the experience which he gains should lead to him being able to stake a claim for a place in Bristol City’s first-team squad during preseason next term.
With the club already announcing the signing of former Reading player Josh Barrett to bolster their options in midfield, it looks as if the money in which the club received for Stokes is already being put into good use.
