Former Hartlepool United goalkeeper signs for League Two side

Young penned a two-year deal at the Memorial Stadium, linking up with popular former Pools midfielder Darrell Clarke, who returned for a second stint in charge of the Gas, who were relegated to League Two last season, in May.

The 23-year-old came through the ranks at Pools and signed his first professional contract under Craig Hignett in 2019 before securing a move to Premier League Leicester in 2021. Young progressed through the youth setup at the King Power Stadium but struggled to break into the first team picture, spending time out on loan at Notts County in the 2022/23 season.

He returned to Pools on loan last August following Darren Sarll's drawn out search for a new first choice goalkeeper. He had to bide his time before getting his chance, serving as back-up to Adam Smith for his first month back in the North East. He was handed his debut during September's trip to Forest Green Rovers and produced a number of sharp saves, cementing his place as the new number one in-between the sticks.

From there, Young looked well-placed to establish himself in the side but mistakes started to creep into his game, with the young goalkeeper making errors leading to goals against Altrincham, York and Solihull Moors. While he endured a particularly difficult afternoon in hugely challenging conditions at Damson Park in November, making mistakes for all three Solihull goals, there were also some positive signs; Young kept four successive home clean sheets and made a superb reflex save to preserve a point against leaders Barnet in November. Even so, veteran manager Lennie Lawrence, having been impressed by Smith's commanding performance in December's FA Trophy clash against Tamworth, opted to make a change in goal, dropping Young to the bench. With Young an unused substitute for the next month-and-a-half, he was recalled by Leicester at the beginning of February and subsequently released by the Foxes at the end of the season. In total, he made 10 appearances for Pools.

Bristol Rovers have been on the hunt for a new goalkeeper following the departure of Matt Hall, who was a back-up to the impressive Jed Ward last season. While Young might, initially at least, have his work cut out to replace Ward as the first choice at the Memorial Stadium, the former Pools goalkeeper admits he's relishing the prospect of a fresh start in Bristol.

"The facilities are brilliant - I know Bristol is a lovely place to be, and I'm just excited to get going now," he said.

"I spoke with the staff and James Bittner (goalkeeping coach); there's a real project here, something I want to be part of for my development and to go forward over the years in my career.

"We've got to push each other every day. We're there together in the mornings and afternoons, and we'll be working hard on the pitch and off the pitch as well. Hopefully, we'll have a successful year."

Meanwhile, new Rovers manager Darrell Clarke, who made 136 appearances for Pools as a player, hailed Young's "incredibly high ceiling" after he became his third signing of the summer.

He said: "I'm pleased to bring Brad to the club.

"At 23, Brad has got an incredibly high ceiling to keep developing and improving, and we are glad he has chosen to do so here."

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