Biography

Boatswain, 20, joins the Cards on loan from Sky Bet Championship side Ipswich Town until January.

Having come through the Tractor Boys Academy, the attacker was loaned to Southern Football League club Leiston in February 2024.

In January of this year, he joined National League side AFC Fylde, going on to make eighteen appearances for the Coasters, including a start at the Laithwaite Community Stadium in April’s clash between the sides.

Director of Football, Jody Brown, explained: “With Inih [Effiong] currently out of favour, Sam [Ashford] injured long-term, and Aiden’s [O’Brien] hamstring injury is hard to put a recovery time on, it became important to bring another attacking option in.”

“Neal was keen to bring in someone with size and a physical presence, a bit different from our others, and It was also important that we manage it correctly from a financial perspective too.”

“Our relationship with Ipswich is good, and when they made Ashley available to us, we were all keen to get it done. He was strong against us for AFC Fylde last year, and he will have learned lots from that loan last season.”