Blues sign striker Jason Banton on loan from Kingstonian to bolster promotion-chasing squad

Bishop's Stortford have bolstered their squad in the battle for promotion from the Pitching In Isthmian League with the signing of Jason Banton on loan from Kingstonian.

The 29-year-old striker is a former Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers youth player and won an England under-17 international cap.

He joined Blackburn in October 2008, top-scoring for their academy that season. After leaving Ewood Park in 2010 he had a successful trial for Liverpool in early 2011 but was released at the end of the season.

On joining Leicester City he was loaned out to Burton Albion, for whom he made his Football League debut. More loans followed during a spell at Crystal Palace, before he joined Plymouth Argyle on a permanent basis.

After signing for Wycombe Wanderers, brief periods with Hartlepool United, Notts County and Crawley Town followed before he joined Woking in 2017.

Spells at Torquay, St Albans, Truro City and Dulwich Hamlet followed and then Braintree Town in 2019, Romford and Cray Wanderers before he went to Kingstonian in May of last year.

Banton was in the Kingstonian side which went to Stortford in August and came away with a 5-2 victory. He's made 36 appearances for the Ks this season, scoring five goals.

Blues boss Steve Smith said that it was important to have a strong squad as the team battles for promotion. "When you're playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday it's physically demanding," he said.

Banton started in the side that thrashed Haringey Borough 6-0 away in the league on Tuesday night and was substituted just after the hour.