Whitehawk boss Darren Freeman has put two of his brightest young talents on contract.

The Hawks are determined to hold on to their best players as they chase the dream of playing in Conference south.

Freeman believes Jerahl Hughes and Karly Akehurst are more than capable of playing at that level and has given the pair two-year contracts as a reward for an excellent start to the season.

Hawks have a five-year plan to win three leagues, which began with last season’s County League title success, and Freeman thinks Hughes and Akehurst can help them achieve their goals.

He said: “We are really pleased with them, they have done fantastically well.

“When Jerahl came to us a few people asked me whether he was the right person for us but he has been absolutely outstanding. I think he should be playing at a lot higher level and if he knuckles down, works hard, gets fitter and stronger he could still be a professional footballer.

“He played against Brighton twice in pre-season and was magnificent. He made the Hendon last week left-back look ridiculous and he has been doing that week in, week out. When he gets on the ball he is unstoppable.

“He still has things to learn and needs to work on other parts of his game but he is working hard. I went to the gym on Monday night and he was there working off his own back doing weights and running the treadmill.

“Karly is young, tenacious and wears his heart on his sleeve. He will give you 120% every game and he is starting to mature.

“People used to say all Karly did was kick and tackle but I totally disagree. He looks to bring other people into the game and wins a lot of second balls which he uses well. He has a great attitude and if he can channel his aggression in the right way he can play a lot higher.”

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