Auckland FC has signed Marconi Stallions goalkeeper Jimmy Hilton, 23, until the end of the season.
Auckland FC has signed Marconi Stallions goalkeeper Jimmy Hilton, 23, until the end of the season.
Hilton, the National Premier League NSW 2025 Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, comes to the Black Knights as a back-up keeper following injuries to both Oli Sail and Joe Knowles.
Sail injured his patellar tendon during last week’s away game against Perth, keeping him out for at least six months, and Knowles is slowly working his way back to full fitness following surgery for a hip issue.
Plus, with the OFC Pro League Goalkeepers Oscar Mason and Blake Callinan away in Papua New Guinea and Eli Jones out with glandular fever, Auckland FC has turned to Hilton, who also holds a double major degree in Molecular Genetics and Disease and has plans to become a doctor post football.
It is a sudden change of scenery for the Manchester-born ‘keeper, who picked up the phone from Auckland FC’s Director of Football Terry McFlynn on Monday and was invited to train with the club.
“Jimmy has performed incredibly well for Marconi Stallions over the past few seasons. With a couple of players injured and others doing the business in the OFC Pro League, signing Hilton was a no-brainer for us,” says McFlynn.
“We had a great chat on Monday. He has a good attitude, brings some great experience and will be an excellent addition to the squad. He also never missed a game through injury, and we could probably do with some of that luck right now.”
Hilton is also handy in front of goal. He hit the headlines back in November for scoring the winning penalty in the quarterfinals of the Australian Championships against APIA Leichhardt. He also saved three penalties and was named player of the match.
“If you told me last week, ‘Jimmy, come Saturday you’ll be in New Zealand playing football for Auckland FC’ I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are,” says Hilton.
“Now the shock has worn off, I’ll be getting my head down, focusing on training, performing at my very best and seizing any opportunities that come my way.
“I’m 23, I want to make the most of my career, and Auckland FC is a great place to do that.”
Jimmy Hilton
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 23
Nationality: Australia/Ireland
British-born and Australian-raised, Jimmy Hilton arrives at Auckland FC. The goalkeeper most recently featured for Marconi Stallions in Sydney, where he built a strong reputation as a reliable presence at the back. To date, Hilton has made 88 appearances. Remarkably, he has never missed a game due to injury.
