YOUNG Guiseley AFC striker Adam Haw has become the first player to sign a new contract following the appointment of his Academy coach Danny Ellis as the club's new manager.

Haw, 20, is a product of the Guiseley Academy and he made his Guiseley AFC first team debut in the Covid hit 2020-21 season in which he made one start in National League North and had six further appearances from the subs bench.

He netted his maiden goal in the 1-1 draw at Kettering Town and followed this up with a second goal in the 2-0 FA Trophy win over Chorley. He was looking forward to gaining more minutes on the pitch and scoring more goals for the first team last time out but found his opportunities limited as a series of loan strikers came in and prolific young Academy striker Josh Stones came to prominence.

Haw is now looking to move his playing career on and gain a regular start in the side under Ellis, a man he feels knows all about his game. The player from Ilkley said:"The appointment of Danny Ellis and Danny Forrest as the new management team is one that intrigues me. I enjoyed working with Danny Ellis in the Academy side and Danny Forrest has in the past tried to sign me for Silsden so they were positives for me and a big factor in me signing another contract."

Haw added:"I am a local lad and have been at the club for some time now and I want to be a part of the re-build and having a shot at going back up to National League North. I think they are exciting times. The foot injury I sustained in that FA Youth Cup tie at York City in 2019-20 impeded my progress at a vital time and since then I have not really had a lot of opportunity to show what I can do."

In October of last season he went on a month's loan to Mickleover and in a season of many changes he started eight games, two them West Riding County Cup games in which he scored two goals in each. He also scored a league goal v Curzon Ashton. Haw also made 16 appearances from the subs bench, nine of which were for less than ten minutes.

Of the new season he said: "My personal ambition for this season is a lot different to last season for sure. I want to play in the majority of the games, to start more games, to score 10-15 goals as a minimum and to see us at least reach the play-offs. It is a new era now and I am very much looking forward to pre-season and the new season starting."

A prolific striker with the hugely successful Guiseley Academy Haw had a 20 day trial with Brentford in 2021 along with teammate Lewis Hey. In that spell the pair played against Chelsea Under-23s, an experience Haw was grateful for.

He said:"It was an opportunity not to be missed, to be playing in the amazing set up at Chelsea was a real experience. The full time training and coaching at Brentford got my fitness level up and fired me up. I am really happy at Guiseley and I am hoping for more game time in the coming season. I will be working hard to achieve this."