We are delighted to announce the signing of striker George Sykes who will go straight into the team ahead of tomorrow's FA Trophy Preliminary Round match against East Grinstead Town.

Sykes started his football career as a youngster when he joined the Barnet youth team as an under-16 and was top scorer in the English U-18 youth system in the 2011-12 season with 24 goals. He made his senior debut at the age of 17 against Bristol Rovers on 21 August 2012. Sykes went on and signed his first professional contract with the Bees in November 2012. He won the League Two Apprentice of the Year award at the Football League Awards in March 2013. On 15 August 2013, he joined Bishop's Stortford on loan.

On his return to Barnet in November, Sykes came on as substitute at home to Cambridge United. With the score at 2-2, Sykes put the ball in the net in injury time after it had dropped from a cloud of smoke caused by a smoke bomb, obscuring the view of the assistant referee, who controversially disallowed the goal, claiming the ball had gone out of play, and Sykes was denied his first goal for Barnet. His first goal for Barnet came on 30 November, when he scored an 89th minute acrobatic winner in an FA Trophy first round tie against Hayes & Yeading United.

Sykes joined Farnborough on loan on 31st January 2014, and following that loan on 13th March, he joined St Albans City on loan until the end of the season, and was part of the team that won the Southern Football League Premier Division play-offs.

Sykes re-joined Bishop's Stortford on loan on 22nd August 2014 until 1st January. Two weeks after his return from loan, he went out on loan for a fifth time, at Canvey Island.

Sykes then joined Dartford on a free transfer in June 2015 but couldn't settle and rejoined Canvey Island for 2016-17. In the 2016-17 season Sykes scored 18 goals in 45 games in the Isthmian Premier League with Canvey Island relegated that season, so a very impressive total.

The following 2017/18 season, Canvey's first season back in the Isthmian North saw George score 25 goals in 47 games and helped the Gulls to the play-off final, only to be defeated by Haringey Borough. After that season George moved to Maldon & Tiptree scoring 2 in 7 games before signing for local rivals Tilbury, scoring 10 goals in 27 games.

George now joins the Millers and we look forward to seeing him in an Aveley shirt!

Get on down to East Grinstead in the FA Trophy to potentially see Sykes in action.