BREAKING: Cobblers sign left-back Koiki after successful trial

Cobblers have signed Ali Koiki on a one-year contract after the left-back impressed during his short time on trial with the club.

With manager Jon Brady keen to provide competition for Joseph Mills in the position, Koiki was the third different trialist to be given a go at left-back during pre-season after Camron McWilliams and Josh Debayo.

But unlike those previous two, the 21-year-old did enough against Nottingham Forest in Tuesday's friendly to win himself a contract for the new season.

Koiki, who turns 22 next month, began his career in Crystal Palace's academy and stayed with the London-based side until he was released at the age of 11.

Following a successful trial, he moved to Burnley in 2016, where he would progress through to the later stages of the academy programme to become an integral part of the club's U23s outfit.

A number of promising performances for the U23s led to Koiki's selection on the bench for late-December fixtures in 2018 against Arsenal and West Ham, but his first taste of senior football came away from his parent club and instead with Swindon Town, where he made 15 appearances in a loan spell in 2019.

Ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, Koiki played several first-team friendlies with Burnley and was also an unused substitute in both an FA Cup tie and a Premier League fixture, but he rejected a new deal at Turf Moor last summer.

The young left-back then spent a period on trial with Charlton Athletic but Bristol Rovers would be his next destination when joining the Gas in October 2020. He played 13 times in all competitions during an injury-plagued campaign last season, scoring once.