Jordan Eastham has been handed a new contract as Rovers shape their goalkeeping department moving forwardt.

Eastham has agreed a new two-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months, with his previous contract having been due to expire this summer.

The 21-year-old is yet to make his senior debut for the club, but has been around the first-team squad, including appearances on the bench.

 

 

He has been third-choice of late, with the injury to Thomas Kaminski, with Joe Hilton preferred on the bench.

Hilton, aged 23, is also yet to make his senior debut for the club and sees his deal expire in the summer. However, there is the expectation that he will also agree a new deal.

He said: “I’m delighted to have been offered the opportunity to sign the contract and I’m looking forward to kicking on even more over these next two years.

“I’ve been here for seven years now, I’ve come through the Academy after joining the Under-14s and it’s been great coming through the system.

“I’m around the first-team and it’s been good to be in it, seeing how everyone works, how happy everyone is, I’m glad to be able to experience it for the first time in my career.

“It’s a great group of goalkeepers here. Everyone helps each other and pushes each other on, which I hope the next two years will do for me."

Eastham has played 36 times for the Under-21s in Premier League 2 and has excellent distribution, but hasn’t played senior football beyond a loan spell at Lancaster City last season.

He was due to start Tuesday’s Lancashire Senior Cup win over Preston North End, but withdrew in the warm-up due to illness.

Aidan Dowling, also out of contract in the summer, took his place.

Rovers’ other goalkeeping option is Felix Goddard who signed his first professional deal last summer.

The teenager, who is highly-rated, is currently on loan at Northern Premier League team Bamber Bridge.

On his hopes for the future, Eastham said: “Everyone will get better and it’s a fight to get that number one spot, which I hope to get over the next couple of years.

“I’ll be doing my best to show everyone what I’m about. I’ll keep working on everything, I want to get my distribution better and improve on my shot-stopping to become a better overall goalkeeper.

“I hope one day I’ll be playing regularly for Rovers.”