Reece Flanagan | Midfield
PLAYER BIO
Combative midfield man with Football League experience at Walsall who joined the Pitmen from league rivals Stratford Town in October 2020
Birmingham born Flanagan - the younger brother of former Hednesford centre-back Calum - started as a junior at Walsall, signing his first professional contract with the Saddlers in 2013. His first taste of senior football came the following season as he was loaned out to Skrill North side Leamington in March 2014, remaining with the Brakes until the end of the season
Upon his return to Walsall, Flanagan worked his way into the League One club's first-team squad and made his full debut in August 2014 in a game against Leyton Orient and became a fan favourite over the next two seasons with his hard-working displays
In April 2017, Flanagan's season was brought to an early end after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training that ruled him out for the majority of the year. He returned to action in November 2017 but suffered a dislocated shoulder in a reserve game against Morecambe and was ruled out for a further six months
Flanagan made a handful of appearances for the Saddlers in the 2017-2018 season but could not get back to the same level of performance and was released by the club in May 2018
The midfielder trialled for Grimsby Town in the summer of 2018, playing in two of the Mariners' pre-season games against Cleethorpes Town and Sunderland before returning to the West Midlands to join former club Leamington on a permanent deal before the start of the 2018-2019 season
He played over thirty times for the Brakes during their Vanarama National League North campaign and initially signed a new deal with Leamington for the following season before signing for Rushall Olympic in October 2019. He made five appearances for the Pics, scoring once, before joining league rivals Stratford in January 2020
Flanagan made seven appearances for Stratford until the season was brought to a halt and was subsequently voided in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. After initially agreeing to remain at Stratford for the 2020-2021 season, Flanagan made the move to Keys Park in October after making only one start for Stratford at the start of the new campaign
After a handful of appearances for the Pitmen, the season was brought to a halt in early 2021 and the season was voided soon after due to the pandemic. In June 2021, Flanagan and several of his team-mates from the previous season agreed to remain at the club for the 2021-2022 campaign