The ex-Bognor midfielder who could be Pompey's 'one that got away'

Now the 21-year-old is starring for Accrington and will feature in opposition at Fratton Park visit on Saturday.

The midfielder was on the Blues’ books until released as a 16-year-old in May 2016, having been rejected for a two-year scholarship. The former Priory School pupil rebuilt his career in non-league, with Rocks boss Jack Pearce recruiting him from Wessex League Premier Division side Baffins Milton Rovers in the summer of 2019.

Within two years, Leigh had been snapped up by League One Accrington for an undisclosed fee, going on to make 19 appearances and score five times during an ongoing maiden season. For Blake, it’s very much a case of the one who got away for Pompey, with the former Burnley striker tipping them off about the talented youngster before Accrington swooped.

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He told our sister paper The News: ‘To be fair, some people take a while to mature and improve. Tommy was with us for two seasons and you could see him growing and growing and growing, getting better and better.

‘Just watching him within a couple of months of arriving, we knew we had a terrific player on our hands. I spoke to a couple of people at Pompey, not Kenny Jackett, advising them to have a look at him. Whether it was too early after they had released him and they didn’t think it was possible, I don’t know.

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‘This was before the current management era, I wanted to help the club, I could see Tommy had grown into a man and was playing so well. I have no problem with Pompey making the decision to release him at 16, they obviously felt that, at that time, he wasn’t good enough. A player can grow into himself and mature, that happens.

‘That’s not a criticism, Tommy might not have been good enough at the time in the Academy. What I'm saying is he’s good enough now and they needed to look at him again. I told them to, but nothing came of it. It's very difficult for me to say Pompey made a mistake, what I would say, though, is there’s local talent about – and you still need to be looking.

‘John Coleman has a history of bringing non-league players through, he’s renowned for it, and identified Tommy for Accrington. When his assistant, Jimmy Bell, contacted me about Tommy, I was asked whether the kid could adapt to the Football League – I told him it was a no brainer.

‘There’s still growth in him as well, he possesses the size and technical ability to go again, with all respect to Accrington. Once Tommy has adapted to the intensity of the Football League, I really do believe he can be a Championship footballer.’

Leigh made 54 appearances and scored 11 times for Bognor, flourishing under Pearce and Blake. His performances brought him to the attention of Accrington, who invited the midfielder for a weeks’s trial, which also included a practice match. In July 2021, they paid a fee for the ex-Baffins player, joining a squad containing former Cowplain School pupil and Pompey fan Matt Butcher.

Leigh has continued to blossom, starting four of Accrington’s last five games, and is the frame to feature against Pompey on Saturday. Blake added: ‘Tommy played as a holding midfielder when he first came to us at the Rocks, but we felt it was stopping him a bit. He possessed the athleticism and size to get into the box, so we put him higher up as a number eight.

‘He’s a great passer at different ranges, can sit in and dictate play, while has the timing to arrive late into the box and knows where the goal is. It’s amazing great for a club like Bognor to be bringing in players like Tommy, helping them go and have a Football League career. We know what we are and if we can produce some young kids and get some revenue into our club through it then that’s fantastic."