Newcastle Jets have announced the signing of Kaine Sheppard on a one-year deal from NPL Victoria club Avondale FC.

The talented 24-year-old striker joins the Jets after hitting 20 goals in 26 appearances this season.

Sheppard also guided Avondale to the FFA Cup 2018 Quarter Finals, finding the back of the net in 4-1 victories over Marconi Stallions and Devonport City respectively.

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The English-born forward said he was excited to be heading north and linking up with Ernie Merrick's Jets.

“I’m really happy to be given the chance to test myself again in a professional set-up,” Sheppard said.

“I’ve had some experience in a similar environment in Finland last year, and being able to dedicate myself to football will help me get the best out of myself as a player.

“Joining the Jets is something which really excites me and I think I’ll benefit from playing under Ernie and the freedom he allows players in the final third.”

Sheppard was offered a trial by Merrick and performed strongly against the Young Socceroos up front, scoring from a set piece in the team's 4-1 win on the Central Coast.

The Jets boss said that Sheppard would provide further depth to the club’s attacking stocks.

“We brought him in on trial and he’s done exceptionally well,” Merrick said.

“Kaine performed strongly in two FFA Cup appearances this year and has been consistently good all season down in Victoria.

“He’s a clever player that reads the game well, makes great runs and has a strong physical presence – a really coachable player that I’m looking forward to working with this season.”

https://www.a-league.com.au/news/player-signing-npl-talent-commits-jets

Is he any good and does he take up a visa spot?

Best of luck to him.

Yes and No

Cheers. Good luck to him.

He sat on the bench for the whole game against SFC for  Avondale, or if he came on it was very late.

Victory are also looking at his team mate Elvis Kamsoba - the talent is there, they just need the platform to shine. A national second division is a must.

We have 2 squad spots left, 1 foreign and 1 marquee. Reading through the lines of articles it appears we'll only sign another visa/marquee in January if we need one, Merrick is apparently happy with what we have. 

Interestingly we have a swathe of players coming off contract at the end of the season. Only Kanta, Vujica, Ridenton, Champness and Thurgate are signed beyond this year. 

Good luck to him. Jets looking okay

Most other teams have improved their squads, Jets have stayed the same. 

I don't see them challenging this year. 

Everyone said that last year 

Would guess they were trying to save him for the grand final on Sunday.

and played 120mins on the friday

Yeah they had enough quality up front to rest him, Zinni, Kamsoba, Boland, all played well. 

Kamsoba looked pretty good last night , gave Zullo a hard time , def good enough for A league .

Think he has been trialling/training with victory

Correct - did his chances no harm whatsoever last night

Took a while to get into the game but once he did he played well.

We need to also try to get Boland. Guy can score for fun and with the proper full  time regime  he can shine. 

Kamsoba looked great against Sydney FC

Was that they guy we were talking about in that FFA cup game on the right?

Mirko Boland has signed for Adelaide, but a gut feeling says this is not the same guy :).

How much do Avondale get?

Market value tbh.

Real Madrid opted out.

Edit: To be less facetious, I'm on record here consistently as hoping to see a meritorious full football pyramid including a national second tier where players like this can drum up some value and demand, but as it is, to be fair, who else is looking for senior Australian NPL players? "Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it." - Publius Syrius

Different Boland but while we're on Adelaide, Elvis Kamsoba is a former AU youth. He's actually the brother of now first teamer for the reds, Pacifique Niyongabire.

I would've thought the FFA Cup match was the bigger game.

Agree with you, from what I saw.

Thanks for the info, good to hear someone whose fingers are on the pulse.

Why would you act like a smart ass at the start to agree with me at the end. It was a serious question.