Sittingbourne have put highly-rated young defender Lex Allan on contract as word of his potential spreads.

The 18-year-old has played just a handful of senior games since Brickies plucked him from Sunday morning football over the summer.

But the 6ft 7in centre-half has made a big impact, with Millwall among those clubs already aware of the teenager.

Word has reached to the north-east, too, with former Football League outfit Darlington sending a scout last week.

Allan joins Miles Cornwell as only the second contracted player in the Brickies squad.

Manager Nick Davis said: “It’s a no-brainer to get Lex on contract. It’s something the club were pushing for and he was happy to sign.

“It’s never been about money for him, he just wants to be involved.

“It works for both parties. It’s good for Lex and, from Sittingbourne’s point of view, why should we lose our best youngsters for nothing when we’ve invested time in them?”

Allan only broke into the team after Laurence Ball suffered a rib injury and has taken his chance to shine.

Davis, a centre-half himself, can see why clubs would be interested.

He said: “He’s only played four or five games for the club but he’s not put a foot wrong.

“It’s early days but he’s answering every question.

“He’s mature for his age and he’s decent on the ball for a big lad.

“There’s not much of him – he’s quite wiry – but he just seems to be in the right place at the right time.

“It’s difficult to say how far he’ll go. He needs to improve in certain areas and he’ll do that by playing games and listening and taking things on board."

Brickies took National League high-fliers Dover to penalties in the Kent Senior Cup last night, losing the shoot-out 4-1 after a 2-2 draw.

Davis' side, who are fifth in Bostik South, go to Horsham on Saturday and host Ramsgate in the League Cup on Tuesday.