AFC Totton
AFC TOTTON HAVE added to their ranks with the permanent signing of former Reading, Aldershot Town and Ebbsfleet United playmaker Craig Tanner.
Now 30 years-old, Tanner joined Reading’s youth set-up as an eight-year-old and went on to sign his first professional contract in 2011. He scored on his professional debut when he was introduced as a substitute in a League Cup victory over Newport County in August 2014.
Tanner became a regular while on loan at AFC Wimbledon in League Two, and subsequently had a series of loans that amounted to a two-year spell at Plymouth Argyle from 2015 to 2017. During his first stint with The Pilgrims, he helped them to reach the Promotion Play-Off final, before returning the following season to help them achieve promotion as League Two Runners-Up.
He was then released by Reading and moved north to play in the Scottish Premiership for Motherwell, where he scored nine goals in the 2017/18 campaign.
Injury hampered his involvement throughout the following season, and Tanner came back down to England to sign for Aldershot Town in September 2019. Once again, he scored on his debut, against Stockport County — the first of seven goals in 28 appearances for The Shots.
Tanner joined Ebbsfleet United in June 2021, where his calmness on the ball and ability to pick a pass made him the Kent-based club’s leading provider of assists for each of his three seasons at Stonebridge Road. He made a total of 116 appearances for The Fleet, scoring 13 goals, helping them to the National League South Promotion Play-Off final in 2021/22 and then winning the title with them in 2022/23.
He has featured for Ebbsfleet in the Vanarama National League this season but a statement posted on the club’s website this week announced that the player has been released by mutual consent. Jimmy Ball and James Beattie wasted no time in making their move for a player who they believe will add that something extra to AFC Totton’s attack for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.
Boss Ball commented:
“When good players become available, you have to move and try to get deals done. We knew that interest in Craig would be high, so we’ve acted quickly and I’m pleased to say that the Board have backed us all the way, and I’m very pleased to be able to welcome Craig to the club.
“He brings bags of experience from several higher levels of the game. He can score goals and create them, operate on the wings or through the middle, and I’m sure he will be a big addition for us as we head into the business end of the season with a lot still to play for.
“We have a lot of young players in this squad, and a core group of senior ex-pros who I look to to bring that wealth of experience to help the younger lads through difficult parts of the season. We’ve been through a tricky patch of form in the last few games, but we’re still on track to succeed and being able to bring in a player of Craig’s talent and status in the game should provide a welcome boost.
“I’m delighted to be bringing him in and I’m really looking forward to seeing him out there in an AFC Totton shirt. I think once he gets into his flow, the fans are going to like what they see from Craig Tanner.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
