Ben Fowkes has earned a permanent switch to Lowestoft Town following his goal against Ipswich Town Under-23s in midweek.

The 19-year-old equalised five minutes into the second half, slotting home to finish off a swift counter-attack, as the Trawlerboys held the Tractor Boys' U23s to a 1-1 friendly draw on Wednesday.

The former Wroxham and Norwich CBS forward has been on trial during pre-season, having been with the club during the 2015/16 season on a dual-registration with Diss, and has done enough to persuade manager Jamie Godbold to sign him.

'Ben has come in and impressed over pre-season, quickly becoming a favourite with the supporters,' Godbold said. 'He provides an element of unpredictability, is good on the ball and exciting to watch.

'We've been really pleased with his work ethic and his desire to learn and we look forward to seeing him progress throughout the season.'

While Fowkes has arrived ahead of the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division Central campaign, playmaker Jake Chambers-Shaw has left due to travel issues having joined from Mildenhall during the off-season.

Fowkes added: 'I'm delighted to be signing for Lowestoft Town. It's a great club and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

'I can't wait for what I'm sure will be a very successful season and will do all I can to help contribute to the team.'

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Meanwhile, it seems the Trawlerboys could benefit from more loan link-ups with Championship club Ipswich, following on from the likes of defender Travis Cole and keeper Mitchell Ware previously.

Town boss Paul Hurst, speaking to Lowestoft's website, said: 'It's striking for me at the football club that there's a balance between being professional and looking after your players but at the same time not giving them everything and wrapping them in cotton wool. I think experiences like when you go out on loan, even if you don't end up being in the team, that can be part of the learning curve for a player.

'We'll always be open to looking at sending younger players out if we feel it's the right level for them, then I don't see any reason why we wouldn't send our players here.'