Leeds Knights: Netminder Sam Gospel happy to play the long game with Knights

Word that the 27-year-old netminder is remaining in West Yorkshire for another two seasons will have prompted as many cheers as those which greeted news of top points scorer Kieran Brown’s re-signing for the 2022-23 season just over a fortnight ago.

In essence, Knights’ owner Steve Nell has tied down two players who many consider to be the most important names on the roster, at least if the current campaign is anything to go by.

While Brown heads the second-tier’s points-scoring chart with 104 in just 47 games, his team-mate at the other end of the ice is proving to be a leading man in his own area of expertise, boasting a save percentage of 91.49 per cent.

“From day one, it has always felt like we were building something here,” said Gospel. “That was always the attraction for me in coming to Leeds, it was this new thing that was going to take off.

“Now Steve has come in, it actually has and it hasn’t taken long to realise that. We have got such a committed fanbase which has been built up in such a short space of time, it’s brilliant.

“Steve is fully committed to the team, he’s outlined his vision for what he wants to build and achieve here in Leeds and I’m really happy to be part of that.

“It’s the most exciting place to play in the National League, I believe, and that’s a combination of the growing fanbase and the quality of the team – you can feel the excitement every time you step out on the ice and the possibilities here are endless.”

Nell has held talks with other members of the current Knights roster but, unlike last year when he had signed the majority of the team before the arrival of head coach Dave Whistle, he will leave the bulk of the team-building to whoever is behind the bench for the Knights next season.

Ryan Aldridge is the man at the helm until the end of the current campaign, but it’s not yet known whether he will remain in place after that, although Nell is due to hold talks with the former Swindon Wildcats and Basingstoke coach in the coming weeks.

Like his wish to tie down Brown to a new deal, Nell – who has seen attendances regularly pass the 1,000-mark in the Knights’ first-ever season – knew it was vital to keep Gospel on board.

“What he’s given us this year has been brilliant,” explained Nell, the Knights preparing for a one-game weekend with a Sunday road trip to Basingstoke.

“He’s obviously one of the best if not the best goalie in the league, to my mind anyway. He keeps us in games each and every night and always gives us a chance to win.

“You’re not going to win anything at this level without a top goalie and we’ve got a top goalie. It’s a massive piece of the jigsaw that we’re putting together here and Kieran and Sam are the first two pieces.

“It’s obvious why we need Sam, every other team in the league would want him so it’s good to get him on a two-year deal and it gives us a couple of years to work together which is great.

“At some teams, two-year deals are quite rare, but not for me. I’ve got no problem signing somebody like Sam for two years. He’s the right type of person, he’s the right character and he is exactly what we want in Leeds.

“We’re in our first year, we’re still finding our feet and we’re starting to build a culture. Sam fits right into that culture.”