FEW trialists in recent years have made quite the same impact at Accrington Stanley as Kurtis Guthrie, and John Coleman wasted no time in signing up the Jersey striker after Saturday’s friendly against Blackburn Rovers.

If his sheer size and unmissable afro grabbed the attention immediately on his debut at non-league Radcliffe on Wednesday, his talent did not take long to shine through either as he found the net twice in a man of the match display.

Three days later and the 18-year-old who had previously been playing amateur football for Trinity in the Jersey Premiership was scoring against opposition from the English Premier League in a respectable 2-1 defeat.

Having already informed Guthrie beforehand that Stanley intended to offer him a contract, Coleman met the Peterborough-born target man immediately after the match at Morecambe’s Globe Arena and within hours a deal was confirmed back at the Crown Ground.

“He’s a good footballer, a young lad who is still learning a lot but he is certainly one for the future,” Coleman said.

“I never thought this opportunity would come but the last week and a half has probably been the best week and a half of my life,” said Guthrie, who has signed a one-year contract with an option for a further year.

“The other night on my debut I scored two and today against Blackburn, although we lost, I scored against Paul Robinson, who is an international keeper.”

Guthrie is due to return to Accrington next week after jetting back to Jersey to prepare for his relocation to England.