Boro’s pre-season plans continued to fall into place in July 2021 with the capture of Jamie Reid; the player joining us from Mansfield Town after “terms were agreed”. For gaffer Alex Revell, it was the next step in shaping our new-look attack. And the fact that it seems we’d paid some cash for him shows you how much we rated (and wanted) him. The bottom line is that goals were a struggle for us in both the 2019-20 and 2020-1 campaigns. So, Reid’s first task was to help change that. Score ’em or set ’em up; we ain’t fussed how he does it.
Reid’s arrival was actually a case of better late than never; explaining to Boro’s official site how he “had a chance to come here last season”. Yet, “for whatever reason” he ended up with the Stags. The seventh summer signing for us in 2021, Reid said he saw himself with a role to play as we started to look upwards under Revs. And, for the boss himself, he had got himself a striker with “power and pace, mixed with his movement and goals”.
Jamie Reid: Before Boro’
Born in Torquay, Reid started his career with the Gulls’ arch-rivals Exeter City; turning pro in April 2012 after coming through the Grecians’ youth ranks. His opportunities to shine at Sid James Park were somewhat limited, however. It wasn’t long before he was loaned out to get some first team experience. This came courtesy of Dorchester Town, where the lad made a decent enough impression based on the stats that we’ve seen.
After going back to his parent club, it was two-and-a-half years before Reid got the chance to go out on loan again. And it’d be the first of three spells with his hometown club Torquay United. This was during the second half of the 2014-5 season. The second was a lengthier spell during the 2016-7 campaign. And the third loan deal was confirmed at the start of the 2017-8 season, which ultimately led to Reid making his time with the Gulls permanent.
He also spent some time at Truro City on loan too, before we forget.
At Plainmoor, Reid had strong 2018-9 and 2019-20 seasons in front of goal. The first saw him score more than 30 times as the Gulls gained promotion from National League South. It earned him the club’s Player of the Year award among other accolades. A haul of 19 goals in 35 outings the following season was no mean feat when you consider that his club were 14th when Covid forced the season to end early. And that’s when the Stags came in…
