The Tigers have snapped up the youngster until the New Year
The chance to sign for a club the size of Hull City was an opportunity too good to turn down for goalkeeper Shea Callister, after penning a short-term deal at the MKM Stadium until January.
Callister, trained with Tranmere Rovers, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers at a young age before going on to be given a scholarship at Salford City, and then a flurry of non-league moves as well as trials at Blackpool and Wigan Athletic.
The 18-year-old will link up with the Under-21 goalkeeping group within Conor Sellars’ side, which also includes Owen Foster, Callum Yam and George Wilson
“Ever since I could remember, all I ever wanted to do was sign my first professional contract, so I am over the moon. It is a proud moment for me and my family and it is a great feeling,” the youngster explained. “When a club this size comes calling, you can’t say no. It is a massive club so to get the opportunity, come in, work as hard as I can, and then for it to pay off is just unbelievable.”
Callister appeared as a trialist in City’s recent 2-1 Premier League Cup defeat at Coventry City earlier this season, and he says more experiences like that will help his development.
“I featured as a trialist against Coventry and the players are of a very high quality in the Under-21s; I cannot wait to play with them and be on the training pitch with them.
“The way the coaching staff spoke to me prior to Coventry and got us up for the game, I am looking forward to working with them. The way they think tactically suits me and to be able to work under them is going to be very good. As goalkeepers, we will all be very good competition for each other. It is all about working hard and making sure I am the best in training every day. I am going to learn off them and they might learn off me. I just can’t wait to carry on, keep working hard every day, and hopefully, it should pay off in the future.”
A former midfielder in his earlier years, head of academy goalkeeper Chris Butt said the teenager will bring healthy competition to an already well-stocked goalkeeping department.
“We’re really pleased to be able to welcome Shea to the football club. We became aware of Shea a short time ago and were really keen to bring him into our environment,” Butt explained.
“He’s a goalkeeper who has all the attributes in possession to deal with the demands of our style of play and the potential to have a real positive impact on games for us. On top of that, he’s more than capable of keeping the ball out of the net which will always be the most important task for our goalkeepers.
“Shea will bring personality to the group as well as a strong desire to improve and win. He will provide healthy competition for the goalkeepers we’ve currently got in the Professional Development Phase, which is something we feel is essential in youth development.”