Brackley Town sign ex-Aston Villa U21 striker from Oxford City - he’s the cousin of a former Liverpool star
Andy Whing has landed his eighth signing of the summer, with striker DJ Sturridge’s arrival from Oxford City now announced.
Sturridge signs in following the expiration of his contract with Oxford City, where he scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 29 National League North appearances last season.
The 24-year-old, who racked up 17 appearances at youth level while in Aston Villa’s academy, had a brief spell with Whing at Solihull Moors back in 2023.
Sturridge has turned out for the likes of Alvechurch, Banbury United, Farsley and Hereford in the past, gaining valuable experience in non-league.
Reacting to Sturridge’s acquisition, Whing told @BrackleyTownFC: “It’s great to have DJ with us.
“I was fortunate to work with him at Solihull and he’s a great load who has come on leaps and bounds since then.
“He’s a forward with pace who wants to get in behind, but we were really impressed with his goal contributions towards the end of last season.
“He scored a variety of goals with different types of finishes, while his link-up play to create opportunities for his teammates was also impressive.
“He’s another player on the up with loads more to give and improve. Welcome, DJ!”
The 10th member of Brackley’s new-look squad, DJ is the cousin of former Liverpool, Chelsea and England striker Daniel Sturridge.
Heading into his prime years, the centre-forward will be eager to hit the ground running and take momentum from a successful 2025/26 in Brackley’s new division.
Upon joining the Saints, Sturridge said: “I'm an energetic player with plenty of pace. I like to run in behind, work hard for the team and, most importantly, score goals.
“I had a good spell at Oxford City, played a lot of games and managed to score a few goals, which gave me plenty of confidence.
“The ambition here is clear – to get Brackley straight back to where the club belongs. After speaking with Joe (Taylor) and the gaffer, it was an easy decision for me.”
Having taken part in Brackley’s first pre-season training session this week, Sturridge is already bedding in nicely ahead of the Saints’ friendly fixtures later this month.