Rags to riches for Barnsley's non league signing

The former Halifax and Buxton hotshot joined the Reds on Monday, less than an hour before the January transfer window shut. After bagging nine goals in his last 10 National League games for the Shaymen, the 24-year-old had cropped up on the Football League radar.

“I’m over the moon” beamed Tuton. “I’ve been stepping up over the last couple of years from the Evo-Stik to the Conference, and within five months to get a move to League One at a big club is great news. Barnsley have been doing well. Hopefully I can come in and fit in with the lads and enjoy the good atmosphere.”

Tuton only moved to Halifax in August, joining the club in the same window that saw centre-half Marc Roberts depart The Shay for Oakwell. He had previously been playing for Buxton in the seventh tier of English football.

Whilst it was touch-and-go whether the deal would be done in time on Monday, Tuton is thankful that it did, and is prepared to put in the hard work to force himself into the first team setup.

“I was sat waiting and didn’t really know whether I was going to get this January move or whether it would be summer.

“I’m fit and ready to go. I want to try and work my way into the squad. There have been rumours in the last few weeks about different clubs, but when my agent said it was finalised I couldn’t wait to get signed.”

After a busy deadline day which saw the Reds bring in three new players, Johnson was delighted to get his man. “Our recruitment team had seen he was in form and he’s exciting because he’s fairly new to football,” he said.

“The full time training will help him and we see a guy who works his socks off and he’s young enough to keep learning.”