Eastwood has attracted the attentions of a number of managers during his time with Conference South club Grays Athletic, for whom he has scored 43 goals in just over a season of action. Despite Charlton Athletic and Swindon Town both offering the 20-year-old front man a trial, and scoring for both club’s reserve teams, Blues have so far been the only side to secure the Basildon-born youngster on a loan deal.
Four goals – including a record-breaking hat-trick against Swansea City on his debut some ten days ago – in just three first-team games, as well as two strikes in two reserve fixtures, have alerted a number of sides to the former West Ham United player’s availability, and in addition to Canvey Island gaffer Jeff King’s publicity stunt last week, Brentford’s Martin Allen, Doncaster Rovers’ Dave Penney and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Dave Jones are all reputed to be tracking the hot-shot’s progress.
However, Southend have two major factors in their advantage – their locality to Eastwood’s residence and history with the youngster, and the fact that they currently have him at the club and an opportunity to impress. Talking to the club website, www.southendunited.co.uk, Tilson certainly appears confident of bringing Eastwood to Roots Hall permanently.
He said of the player, whose partner Debbie gave birth to a young child over the weekend, “Freddy has another couple of games to play and in that time we are going to put a deal to Freddy to sign him”. He will be involved on Saturday as the Shrimpers face Northampton Town in a vital League Two encounter, and then again against weekend opposition Shrewsbury Town in the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy.
And the good news for Seasiders supporters is that Tilson added, “We are close to securing a deal with Grays so it is just a case of getting an agreement with Freddy”. There had been worries that Athletic would bump up the price tag in the event of added interest, but the 38-year-old revealed that this was not the case. “Grays have been pretty good, they’ve raised the price from what we were first told but they haven’t gone silly”, Tilson said, “if we’d been in their position we’d have probably done the same thing”.
He continued, “He has come in and done well but we aren’t talking ridiculous amounts and the deal is done with Grays”. Concluding, he appraised Eastwood’s form and then mused, “Freddy is one that could be sold on if he continues to do well. But hopefully he will stay with us and go on up the League’s rather than having to sell him”. Southend supporters will share the same sentiments.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com