Defender Tom Dallison becomes the Fleet’s latest summer recruit as the former Colchester United man joins Danny Searle’s squad for the 2024/25 campaign.

The towering 6ft 4in left-sided defender has played most of his football in League Two after an early education that saw him progress through the Premier League academies of West Ham and Arsenal before he signed his first contract at Brighton & Hove Albion.

While on the South Coast, his first senior experience came via loan spells with Dartford and Braintree Town in the National League before he moved up to the EFL with Crawley Town, Cambridge United and Accrington Stanley in further loan deals.

The Dagenham-born defender moved north of the border to Scottish Championship side Falkirk in 2018 following his departure from Brighton before he rejoined Crawley in League Two on a permanent basis in 2019. Dallison made more than 80 appearances for the Red Devils over three years before Colchester paid a fee for his services in 2022.

He has spent the past two and a half years with the U’s, playing 64 times – including here at the Kuflink Stadium in last year’s pre-season friendly against Colchester (pictured below).

Dallison, who could face three of his former clubs in pre-season action at the Kuflink Stadium this month, told FleetTV: “A number of things attracted me here. My relationship with the gaffer goes back a long way to when I was a young boy at West Ham and I’ve played here a number of times before. I really like the feel of the club. It’s a great surface here and suits my style of play and I’m looking forward to kicking a ball now and getting around the changing room with the boys.”