As posted on the Southern League thread last week by SamCoughlan - Scott Morris has linked up with Stoke City over in England.
Worthy of his own thread now I feel.
Interesting chain of events to get him there just by looking at the behind the scenes stuff - The obvious link to get him over there in the first place being Johnathan Gould - Stoke City GK coach when he initially went over last year to trial.
Since then, Steven Schumacher has come in to the top job at Stoke from Plymouth Argyle, and Johnathan Gould has now left Stoke. An understandable move when a new gaffer comes in and brings in his own people. Never take anything for granted in football given it's cut-throat and brutal nature.
Anyway, getting on with it. Last week Stoke sent out Tommy Simkin to struggling Forest Green Rovers in League Two (thereby displacing Jamie Searle from his #2 role, but that's another story!) and well, that lead to this morning where Scott Morris appeared on the bench for the first time for Stoke in their PL2 match against bottom placed Manchester City!
📝Tonight's matchday squad to face Manchester City in #PL2.
about 2 years ago· edited about 2 years ago· History
Great move for him. Read somewhere that with Simkin going on loan to Forest Green, Morris could slot in immediately at no 3 on the Stoke City keeper pecking order. So an injury and he's a chance of being on the bench in The Championship?? Though presumably Simkin can be called back from loan at any time.
Gonna get interesting for the 3 GK spots at Paris Olympics. Paulsen a given. Then 2 of Kees Sims, Henry Gray or Scott Morris. All in pro environments. I may even be missing someone.
Or Bazeley may even just pick 2 keepers. Looks like Tokyo was just Woud (played all 4 games) & Searle.
And some stuff here from Niche Cache. Not much new, but a reminder Adam Watson (NZ U17s) is also at Stoke City.
It seems we’re not going to get proper transfer confirmation which isn’t too abnormal for a reserve team signing, but check that bench and you’ll see #13 Scott Morris. The former Christchurch United goalie who has been on trial with Stoke City since before Christmas, missing the last couple of National League games to chase the dream.
Jonathan Gould was the goalkeeping coach at Stoke City until very recently (when a new manager came in bringing a bunch of his own staff - that being Ben Waine’s old Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher) so there’s an easy link as to how this opportunity arose. More specifically: Morris was coached by Paul Ifill at CUFC who crossed over with Gould at the Wellington Phoenix and Hawke’s Bay United. Stoke City is also home to NZ U17s striker Adam Watson although he’s a further step down the ladder with the U18s for now.
Morris was only on the bench for this game as Stoke won 5-1 against Manchester City. Cameroonian prospect Blondy Nna Noukeu wore the gloves, hopefully he and Morris get rotated around but we’ll see how it goes. The path for both had been cleared when Tommy Simkin, their best U21s goalie who made an appearance for the first team earlier this season, was loaned out to Forest Green Rovers last week. A move that nudged NZ’s Jamie Searle out of their latest matchday squad, therefore potentially also foretelling a loan move for Searle. There’s more context on that in our latest Substack email.
But yeah, a great gig for Morris who ensures his name remains firmly in the hat for the upcoming Olympics. Picking three U23 goalies out of a pool that includes: Alex Paulsen, Henry Gray, Kees Sims, Alby Kelly-Heald, Scott Morris, and a plethora of domestic dudes beneath that pro realm. No easy task. At least coach Darren Bazeley doesn’t have to worry about Zac Jones or Jamie Searle who each miss out on the cut-off age by less than two months.
Congratulations to New Zealand U-23, and former @ChristchurchUtd goalkeeper, Scott Morris on signing with English Championship side @stokecity 🔴⚪️
Great move for him. Read somewhere that with Simkin going on loan to Forest Green, Morris could slot in immediately at no 3 on the Stoke City keeper pecking order. So an injury and he's a chance of being on the bench in The Championship?? Though presumably Simkin can be called back from loan at any time.
Gonna get interesting for the 3 GK spots at Paris Olympics. Paulsen a given. Then 2 of Kees Sims, Henry Gray or Scott Morris. All in pro environments. I may even be missing someone.
Or Bazeley may even just pick 2 keepers. Looks like Tokyo was just Woud (played all 4 games) & Searle.
It turns out we didn’t give Stoke City enough credit last week because not only did they announce this move after all (albeit after he’d already featured in a matchday squad with the reserves) but they threw a few nuggets into that announcement too. First was that the deal was listed in the First Team section of their website. Second is that the deal is until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Those are crucial points because he’s already 22 years old so he can’t just hang around the U21s forever... and he’s not going to because apparently they have bigger plans for him. You can believe that because on the day this was announce they also chucked up a training compo vid on their YouTube in which you can spot Morris several times (especially in the last few minutes where they play a small sided game and then do some finishing practice). He makes a couple of ripping saves in amongst.
What initially looked like a great wee development opportunity for the best goalie in the National League last year now turns out to be one of the biggest moves of this entire transfer window. That’s what we love to see.
Scott Morris: “It has been a long-held ambition to test myself in England, which was something I explored a couple of years ago, and it now feels like the right time and right opportunity to develop my game. My immediate goal is to adapt to the professional environment, learn from my new teammates and be the best version of myself in training every day. It’s a chance I want to grasp with both hands.”
SCFC Technical Director Ricky Martin: “Scott is a promising prospect, and we are looking forward to seeing how he develops with us. We hope that being in and around our environment, working with Darren Behcet alongside a close-knit group of fellow goalkeepers, will help Scott fulfil his long-term potential. He has the very best wishes of us all as he embarks on his Stoke City career.”
The goalkeeping situation at Stoke City is a slippery one. They changed goalkeeping coach when they changed managers a few weeks back, meaning no more Jonathan Gould (who no doubt had a big hand in getting Morris this opportunity). They’re also all over the place with contracts. Current number one Daniel Iversen is only there on loan from Leicester City while Frank Fielding and Blondy Nna Noukea, as it stands, will be free agents after this season.
They do have two other very good youngsters with Jack Bonham having signed a new deal in November and Tommy Simkin currently on loan with Forest Green Rovers. But it’s a chaotic group for sure. And a bit of positional chaos might just help Scotty’s prospects.
Up Next: We’re probably looking at the U21s here for realistic chances so check out West Ham vs Stoke on Saturday at 8am in the Premier League Development stuff (NZT)
Tommy Simkin getting sent off at the arse end of the first half (1-2 at the time) allowing him his opportunity to debut off the bench.
Stoke finishing the game with 9 players. Result stayed the same, but not a bad effort considering they would have been under the pump for the majority of that 2nd half.
Hopefully the first of many appearances over in England for the lad. PL2 season is now over, but he's still contracted for the 24/25 season as well.
Morris had few opportunities to play for Stoke City in a spell initially disrupted by a double hernia and later by torn ligaments in his foot.
“I was rehabbing and at the club gym five days a week,” he told NelsonApp.
When he regained his fitness, he found competition for team places was intense.
“It was insane. The level was four or five times higher than back in New Zealand. I was blown away as there was so much to take in. Even in the reserves, you were training with top players making their way back from injury,” he said.
Morris played three games for Stoke City’s resevers, facing the second-string teams from West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Liverpool.
Morris (24) made his decision following the recurrence of a hip injury and after consulting with medical specialists.
“It is unfortunate, I was looking forward to starting again at Auckland FC and giving my all for the club,” Morris said.
“Sadly, it wasn’t to be, but I need to think of my future beyond football, and my health must come first.”
Morris now plans to spend some time overseas before focusing on his studies.
“Luckily, I have plenty to keep me busy outside of football. I’m going to spend some time sitting on a beach relaxing; it’s been a long time since I’ve done that. And then I am also studying for a degree in criminal justice and law, so I will put my all into that.”
Auckland FC director of football Terry McFlynn said the club were supportive of Morris’s decision to retire.
“It is such a difficult decision for a player to make; they’ve often spent years focused on playing professional football, so the decision to retire is never an easy one,” McFlynn said.
“It is a brave decision to make, and we will be providing Scott with any support he needs. We’ve also been working closely with the medical specialists who are advising Scott and are understanding of the decision to prioritise his future health.”
