Former Portsmouth prospect and Sunderland triallist who could play a part in Hawks' National League South play-off push
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South Korean teenager Lee, 18, has signed playing registration forms with the Westleigh Park club in agreement with current side Gosport Borough after impressing during a friendly run-out for Paul Doswell's side at Sutton United earlier this week.
Lee, who turned down a third-year scholarship contract offered by Pompey last summer and spent time on trial with Sunderland under-23s following his PO4 departure, signed for Southern League Premier South side Boro in November.
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Hide AdThat brought to an end a lengthy search for a new club after his Blues exit having rejected a tabled contract offer. Doswell told how the attacking player who can operate as a winger or in the number 10 position has been training with the Hawks for more than a month after approaching club captain Joe Oastler with regards to getting a chance to show the Hawks his capabilities.
Lee has been splitting his time training with the sixth-tier club in the past few weeks, along with featuring as a substitute in three of Gosport's previous four league matches following a previous stint back in his homeland after sustaining an injury earlier in the season.
And Doswell has not ruled out the Asian young gun possibly turning out for Hawks in their final run-in after being pleased with his performance in the friendly at Sutton.
‘Seok (Jae Lee), the lad who has been training with us, he really shone (in the Sutton friendly), so he's dual-registered with us,’ revealed the Hawks boss.
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Hide Ad‘He's been training for us the past four or five weeks, he's signed a form (playing) for us, he did well as well (against Sutton).
‘It's all been done with Shaun Gale's (Gosport manager) okay. Shaun was more than happy for us to dual-register him.
‘I'm just making the point, we've only got 17-18 (first-team players) and two of those are injured, so he's not far away from making the 16 (match-day squad).
‘But I needed to see him actually play rather than in a training environment, he did okay, to be fair. He's one of the players who was good to look at (in Sutton friendly), even if it's for next season, he did okay.’
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Hide AdLee made two senior Pompey appearances prior to his departure last summer, both of which arrived in the EFL Trophy under ex-Blues boss Kenny Jackett last season.
Hawks head to Bath City on Friday sitting ninth in the National League South level on 48 points with St Albans in the play-off places and Hungerford – in eighth – who sit directly above them in the division.
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