Former Sheffield Wednesday winger and Forest Green Rovers keeper join Eastbourne Borough

Matt Gray has signed winger Joey Phuthi from Sheffield Wednesday and goalkeeper Jamie Searle from Forest Green Rovers.

Phuti is a rapid, versatile player known for his pace, who joins as a winger on the south coast.

Boss Matt Gray said: “It’s been a positive week for our recruitment, which concludes with the singing of Joey who is another young player who is hungry to learn.

“He is a very good prospect for the club – he is a young winger with real pace and real power, and I look forward to working with another young exciting prospect who will mix with the experience that we have.”

The Zimbabwe international arrives at The ReachTV Stadium having come through the Academy at Sheffield Wednesday, where he scored five goals for the Under 21 team last season – the last being in a 3-0 win over Peterborough in March.

Having joined as a 13-year-old, he signed his first professional contract at Hillsbrough in August 2023, going on to be named as an unused substitute against Huddersfield in October 2023.

He then made his professional debut as a substitute in a 2-0 loss against Coventry City on Boxing Day 2023, before coming off the bench in the FA Cup Fourth Round replay against the same opposition in February 2024.

In March 2024, he was called up to the full Zimbabwe squad, making his international debut against Kenya that month.

Searle stopper joins the Sports having spent two seasons with the former EFL side, who finished third in The National League last term.

“It’s a good opportunity for me,” said Borough’s new number one.

“The club’s got big ambitions in terms of wanting to get promoted, wanting to win the league and I like to be part of a club who have those kinds of aspirations.

“I spoke the gaffer a few days ago and explained what he wanted from a goalkeeper and as a team and it really stood out for me, so I’m excited to get going.”

Having played in his native New Zealand as a teenager, he earned a deal with the Academy at Aston Villa in 2019, before signing a deal at Swansea City in July 2020.

After two years in South Wales, he made the move to Barnsley before joining Forest Green in the summer of 2023.

Searle made his Rovers debut in the EFL Cup against Portsmouth, losing 3-1, before a clean sheet in the EFL Trophy win over Shrewsbury Town in September 2023. He then made his League Two debut against Mansfield Town in February 2024.

Overall, he made eight appearances for Rovers – the last came in April 2025 as he secured a clean sheet with a 1-0 win over Oldham. Searle was then on the bench in the Play-Off Semi-Final defeat on penalties to Southend United.

Boss Matt Gray added: “I’m delighted to have Jamie on board – he comes with a really good pedigree.

“He came over from New Zealand to Aston Villa and has been in the first team set ups at Barnsley and Swansea, and we are pleased to snap him up.

“He’s got all the attributes I am looking for in a keeper, and I look forward to working with him.”

Searle was also a member of the New Zealand Olympic football team at the Tokyo 2020 games, before making his full debut for the senior New Zealand side in 2022 in a World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia.