Grimsby Town Football Club are pleased to announce that Academy graduate, Jaz Goundry has put pen to paper on his first professional contract, signing a one-year-deal with the club.

Jaz joined the Mariners’ Academy in July 2019, where he has gone onto develop under the guidance of Neil Woods at the heart of the defence, putting his dominating presence to good use.

The seventeen-year-old is the latest of graduates from the Grimsby Town Academy to join the first-team squad on professional terms, joining the likes of Harry Clifton, Max Wright, Mattie Pollock & Joe Starbuck in Paul Hurst’s squad.

We caught up with the manager this afternoon and he believes Jaz’s attitude has helped the youngster develop his game over the years.

“Jaz deserves his contract”, said Hurst. “In the games I have watched, he has competed very well and we believe there is the opportunity there for him to improve further. Neil Woods and Callum Lester have helped Jaz make great strides to earn this opportunity.

“He has an excellent attitude which has helped him improve his game and is a key factor we look at when we make decisions on players.”

Speaking exclusively to gtfc.co.uk, Goundry spoke of his delight at signing his first professional contract with the club. “I am buzzing, I am still over the moon with it all, to be honest”, said Goundry. “I am looking forward to getting back into it, coming back in for pre-season and hitting the ground running as soon as I get started.

“I’m a centre half, I’m 6’4 so that puts me at an advantage at the back, I love getting my head on the ball, playing out from the back when I can and I also love putting a tackle in. I’ve always been a defender, in all honesty, I didn’t start football until I was about ten years old, I’ve done a bit of everything from Rugby to Boxing but I am absolutely loving it here, Woodsy has been a great manager for me. He helped me out massively in my first year at the club and has helped me settle and that carried on into my second year so I am thankful.

“I’m buzzing to get started already. I am sure it’ll be a lot different and much more difficult but it’s something I’m excited about. I’ve been down today to see the manager and he has told me his plans for next year, what he wants from me and it’s an exciting time. We need to try to get back up to where we belong as quick as we can. Next year is a big year so we need to get a team together, put in a strong pre-season, get some games in and start the season as well as we can”.