We are pleased to announce that we have agreed a deal to sign highly rated forward Billy Chadwick, on a free transfer from Hull City.
The Hull-born man, capable of playing out wide or through the middle, caught the eye recently whilst on loan at National League North side Boston United, scoring an impressive 11 goals in 20 appearances for the Pilgrims having recovered from a long-term knee injury.
The 23-year-old will sign a one-year deal at Edgeley Park, with the option of a further year, after leaving hometown club Hull at the end of the month.
Billy had been with the Tigers since the age of nine, rising through the ranks at the MKM Stadium initially as a midfielder, before moving into a forward position. He made his debut for the first-team in September 2020, when coming off the bench in a Carabao cup tie against Leeds United. Hull went on to win the tie on penalties, with Billy converting from the spot in the shootout.
After signing a new two-year-deal with the club, Billy went on loan to FC Halifax Town in the National League for a month, scoring on his debut in an FA Trophy tie against Hartlepool United. Playing as a winger during his time with the Shaymen, he finished his time there with five goals in 18 appearances.
The following season saw the youngster again head out on loan, this time to join Northern Irish champions Linfield. He again showed his eye for goal whilst in Belfast, scoring six times in 17 appearances for the club – including one in a UEFA Conference League qualifier against CS Fola Esch of Luxembourg.
Billy’s time at Windsor Park was cruelly cut short in November 2021 however, after sustaining an ACL injury which kept him out for 11 months – eventually making his return for Hull’s academy side in October 2022 before heading to Boston on loan in January.
Back fit and firing on all cylinders, Billy made an explosive return to first-team football during his time with The Pilgrims, scoring a number of spectacular goals – with one of his strikes against Leamington being named as the National League North Goal of the Season.
He picked up the National League North Player of the Month award in March after six goal contributions in five games, and played a big role in the Pilgrims’ strong second half to the season, finishing as their third top-scorer despite only joining halfway through the campaign.
Despite interest from several other clubs, we are delighted to have been chosen by Billy for the next stage of his career. He will join up with the first-team squad for our pre-season trip to Pinatar next month.
Director of Football, Simon Wilson said:
“Billy is a player we are all quietly excited about. There’s a lot to like about him – historically a midfielder at Hull, successful at Halifax as a winger and then produced a one in two record as a striker at Boston most recently. He’s had to overcome adversity with loan moves that didn’t work out, and overcoming a significant injury which shows his resilience too.
“We’re going to have a good look at him in pre season, to make the decision of if he stays in with us for the upcoming campaign or he continues getting games via a loan to further his development.”
First-Team Manager, Dave Challinor said:
“I’d like to welcome Billy to the club. He’s a player we believe has the potential to really kick on and we have a clear developmental plan in place for him. We all feel he’s younger than his years if you like, as he’s had a bad time with injury over the past few years. He’s shown signs of getting back to himself in a recent loan and this opportunity hopefully gives him the platform to get back to his pre-injury level, have an impact on our first-team squad, and become a win, win for everyone.
