Hastings United can confirm the departure of forward player James Stone, who has accepted an opportunity to join Burgess Hill Town FC in the division above.
James joined the club earlier this season and made an immediate impression, contributing five goals during his time at The Pilot Field.
While we are naturally disappointed to see him move on, we fully understand his decision to take the next step in his career. We wish James every success going forward and he will always be welcome back at Hastings United.
Altendorff has acted swiftly to bring in a replacement striker in the form of Lukas Franzen-Jones, who reunites with the manager for the third time in his career.
Lukas brings a proven goalscoring record, having scored 45 goals in 67 appearances for Newhaven FC and finishing as the SCFL Premier Division Golden Boot winner in the 2022/23 season. He followed that up with 28 goals in the Isthmian South East Division for Lancing FC during the 2023/24 campaign.
Those performances earned him moves to big clubs such as Margate FC, Leatherhead FC and most recently Lewes FC in the Isthmian Premier Division, where he added a further 18 goals to his name.
Lukas now arrives at Hastings United in a familiar partnership that has consistently brought the best out of his game. We look forward to seeing him at The Pilot Field and contributing more goals in claret and blue!
