Joe Tomlinson earns big Championship move from National League Eastleigh to Posh

The 21-year-old left-back has penned a three year deal for Peterborough United off the back of an outstanding National League campaign for Eastleigh.

For such a young age, Joe Tomlinson has certainly been around the proverbial block a few times to get to this point in his career. Scouted for Southampton’s academy, his journey to becoming a professional footballer started at Staplewood. 

Released at aged 16, Joe was picked up by the youth setup at Yeovil Town, slotting into their Under 18 side. In his first season at the club, Joe was on the bench for Yeovil’s League Two fixture against Colchester United but did not feature. 

Having impressed at Under 18 level, Brighton saw the potential and decided to bring him in on a short term contract, swooping in for Joe in the Summer of 2018. At 18, Joe was immediately sent out on loan to Bognor Regis Town of the Isthmian Football League Premier Division (7th Tier) where he made a real name for himself. Making 37 first-team appearances, Joe bagged 11 goal contributions from left-back and clearly caught the eye of the fans, earning the supporters player of the season award for the 2018/2019 season. 

Despite the impressive loan spell, this sentiment wasn’t shared by Brighton, who clearly didn’t see Joe as part of their academy plans with just two Premier League 2 appearances to his name. Tomlinson was released in the summer of 2019, aged 19. This, however, didn’t knock the young man’s confidence, as he received a wealth of interest from a number of clubs, but was eventually picked up by National League South new boys Hungerford Town. 

Hungerford struggled in their first season at the level, sitting bottom of the league at the time the season was curtailed. However, Joe once again made the step up and caught the eye, accumulating a number of man of the match performances and once again earning 11 goal contributions from left-back. At the tender age of 19, Joe captained the side a number of times, showing his leadership qualities at a young age and at a good level of football too. 

This meant that Joe attracted a large amount of attention from National League clubs, with Eastleigh securing his signature in the summer of 2020 to provide a homecoming of sorts. In his first year as a full senior professional, the left-back once again stepped up to the plate, producing his best season to date. A staggering 12 National League goals scored from left-back was a real standout as well as Joe’s ability to quickly establish his leadership qualities despite playing with players far more experienced than him. 

His composure on the ball, ability to play with both feet and versatility are what attracted the attention Darren Ferguson, as stated in Peterborough’s announcement of the signing. 

“He is an excellent athlete, both footed, can left-back or left-wing back or right-back or right-wing back is a good size and is a lovely lad. We see real potential with this one and I am excited about it. He is a modern-day full-back, good crosser of the ball with both feet, takes penalties with his right-foot and free-kicks with his left.” 

As per Darren Ferguson, Peterborough scouts had flagged him up during the 2020/2021 campaign, with a scout watching Eastleigh’s first pre-season game against Metropolitan Police. Despite playing in a losing effort, Joe’s performance in that one game was enough for the decision to be made on him and negotiations started.

Tomlinson had previously stated that he intended on staying at Eastleigh for the upcoming campaign, but when Peterborough came calling it was hardly a proposition he could turn down. 

In his first interview with Posh TV, Joe spoke glowingly of his times with Southampton’s academy as well as more recently Eastleigh, remarking on how much these times helped him on and off the pitch and were key steps to his development. 

Peterborough’s pre-season is well underway, having achieved big victories over non-league Bedford Town and Stamford, prior to two goalless draws against professional opposition. One at National League Barnet and one at League One Oxford United.

Joe will slot straight into pre-season training having trained and played with Eastleigh up until this point, and will likely feature in one of two pre-season friendlies for Posh on Saturday. One team will travel to Joe’s hometown Swindon, whereas another will visit Fratton Park, home of the rivals of Joe’s former academy club, Portsmouth. 

Joe will wear the number 21 shirt, and will likely be back up to 26-year-old Dan Butler. There have been indications that Tomlinson will slot into the Under 23 team, but it is likely that there will be first-team action for Joe as the season goes on, be that in cup competitions or in the Championship. 

Posh fans can expect a dynamic and versatile defensive player, who can play pretty much anywhere across the backline.

Whilst his preferred position is left-back, Joe can play either side at full-back, or as a centre back in a back three. However, it seems as if Darren Ferguson is keen on Joe’s ability to play as a wing-back, indicating that Tomlinson could see more game time should the formation change at any point during the season.

All in all, though, Tomlinson will bring a calmness on the ball and the ability to go forward, as well as tremendous defensive and leadership qualities. He is also an excellent set-piece taker and can mix with most in the air. 

Still only 21, a loan isn’t an impossible prospect, but Posh fans will no doubt be looking forward to tracking his development in the Under 23’s and will hope he can seize his first-team opportunities. 

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