Freddy goes 400 extra Elgin miles
FREDDY JEFFREYS has moved 400 miles to help Elgin finish their season with a flourish in the firm belief it will help him go the distance in his career.
But the teenage Bradford midfielder is not the only one taking off... because dad Lee is at every one of his games.
The 18-year-old marked back-to-back starts with his first goal for Allan Hale’s side in last week’s win at Stranraer.
Just two defeats in seven games since he upped sticks has helped turn City’s season on its head, now sitting eight points clear of danger and 10 from the promotion play-offs.
Jeffreys, in a flat 10 minutes from the ground after declaring the club have gone out of their way to help him, said: “Within the first couple of weeks it was a bit like, ‘Wooah, this is far away.’
“But when you start playing it is absolutely fine because that is what I am here to do and when the team are winning, that is always a bonus.
“My family have come up twice already to watch games and my dad comes to every one. He’s from Leeds, which is seven-and-a-half hours away, but he flies up if it is a home game. Most of the away games it is nearer for my dad than it is for me!
“I don’t think he will stop, he’s that sort of dad, he has been there the full way, he has done it since I was eight. The gaffer and Stefan (Laird, assistant boss) have embedded a mentality that has helped win games.”
A late charge for the final play-off spot “is a big ask but get as many points as you can, see how the lads are feeling and then you never know”, he reckons.
Jeffreys added: “It has been good to have a new environment to get used to, it is something I need to take me to the next level in my career.
“One of the main reasons I chose to come all this way was to get used to what it is going to be like in the future.
“I think this is the best next step for me to improve my position in and around the Bradford squad.”
Forfar haven’t lost a league game since January 6, having drawn a mammoth 14 of their 29 matches.
Keeper Marc McCallum said: “It must be one of the highest draw percentages in Europe! It shows maybe we’ve not been clinical at times but also how good we have been defensively.”