Another month has past and it is time to find out more about the latest Player of the Month, Louis Gates. From one of the familiar faces at Lingfield we go to a young player in his first season with the club. A fine example of the modern fullback, putting in the tackles at the back then marauding down the wing to deliver the crosses and cutting infield to have a shot at goal.

You were a regular until an injury at the end of August. It looks like that since returning to the team at Eastbourne Town in December you are determined to make up for those lost games and have been rewarded with the Player of the Month award – would you agree?

Yes, totally. I want to push on as high as I can even though I am still only nineteen and, having missed out on playing mens football last season, I want to make the most of the chance to play here at Lingfield. I feel I am playing well so far but I think I can improve and get better with more games, more experience, improving my decision making and improving physically as this is the difference between age group football and the first team. I need to be winning more headers and holding off challenges, winning the 50:50s more.

Louis has already been voted Man of the Match which is impressive for a debut season at this level.

This is your first season with Lingfield – how did you arrive here?

I went to a Step 4 club at the start of the summer to try and break into the team there but was not asked back. I looked around at other clubs and as a result came to the trials at Lingfield and was accepted. I briefly looked at another club but returned to Lingfield, played in the pre-season friendlies and was in the first team from the start until I got injured. I had a sub appearance for the U23s before coming off the bench at Eastbourne Town and then back in the starting eleven since.

What has been your football journey to this point?

I started playing in a team at eight years old and played in Sunday league football until I was sixteen. Youngsters start in teams as young as four today and I have been doing some coaching with the young age groups. I went to a college programme to try to push on for a pro-contract and was playing a good standard of football at U18 level. That did not come through so now I am wanting to push on through the semi-pro route and putting in lots of training with Jay Simpson and Ellis Newbold. I have known them both since I was ten or eleven and it is great to be able to play regularly with Jay and, hopefully, Ellis can make some more first team appearances on top of being an U23 regular.

Thank you, Louis and we look forward to seeing more solid displays in our remaining eleven fixtures, with further Man of the Match, Player of the Month and end of season awards up for grabs.