Get an in-depth look at Sutton’s newest recruit, Jermaine Francis.

Three months on from scoring what he thought was the winner at the VBS Community Stadium, Jermaine Francis has now swapped the away side for the home side by making the switch from Hartlepool United on a permanent deal.

Describing his move as a chance to return closer to home, the 23-year old was born in London, holding dual Grenadian and English citizenship, and primarily operates on the right flank, becoming known for his pace and direct style as well as his versatility, with the midfielder also able to play off the left or as an attacking midfielder.

Having begun his footballing journey in the academies at Queens Park Rangers and Reading, Francis opted in favour of the path up non-league as he looked to carve out a career in the professional game, moving to London Tigers to play for their Under-19s, whilst also appearing for Chelsea’s Under-19 Representative College Team during his time at Uxbridge College, though he didn’t play for the Blues’ academy officially. Nonetheless, he did get the chance to play alongside the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek during his brief stint at Stamford Bridge, gaining invaluable experience within the youth ranks at one of the country’s biggest clubs.

Aiming to embark on his career within the non-league game, he joined Essex Alliance League club DTFC, a club formed in 2019 by AFTV contributor, Liam Goodenough, giving him his first taste of YouTube exposure, and went on to score an impressive eight goals in 11 games across two spells, either side of a stint at Coggeshall Town in which he scored ten goals in 26 appearances.

One of his teammates at West Street, Sam Bantick, pointed Francis out to Jay Devereux, manager at Hashtag United, and following his second spell with DTFC, saw a switch to Parkside progress and soon come to fruition, with the midfielder joining a club he had been familiar with for a few years due to their reputation on the YouTube scene.

Indeed, Hashtag are without a doubt one of the most unique clubs in the country, having started out as a YouTube football team playing primarily played five, seven, and eleven-a-side exhibition matches after being formed by YouTuber Spencer Owen, before making the jump into the non-league pyramid after two years. The Tags subsequently gained hundreds of thousands of followers online, and ahead of their induction into the football league system, were even invested in by Chelsea captain and Spanish international César Azpilicueta.

They subsequently began life in non-league in the Eastern Counties League and won three promotions from their opening five seasons, one of those being an abandoned campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Sutton’s new recruit getting his first major opportunity at being in the spotlight.

After signing for the second half of the 2021/22 season, Francis debuted the following day in a 4–3 loss in the Isthmian League North Division away to Heybridge Swift, before scoring his first goal in his fourth game – a home league win over Hullbridge Sports.

He had made an immediate impact on Devs’ side, notching five assists and four goals, along with winning two Man of the Match and two Player of the Month awards in just 13 appearances, continuing to prove nigh on impossible to stop, with his most notable contribution being with his quickfire double against Brentwood Town, perhaps his best performance thus far in a blue and yellow shirt.

He was subsequently rewarded by becoming only the second non-Academy winner to sign a contract for Hashtag’s men’s team, after Harry Haysom, extending his deal for the 2022/23 campaign, and led to his first full campaign with the Tags being a season to remember, as despite missing the opening eight games, he helped to set a club record of 21 wins in a row. Jermaine became perhaps the best player in the division during a breakthrough season, displaying a superb level of technical ability with his fast feet and quickness off the mark, and he went on to score 14 goals in 30 league appearances as Hashtag won the Isthmian League North Division.

He topped his side’s average distance per 90 minutes while his goalscoring tally was bettered only by Alex Teniola and his assists tally by Toby Aromolaran and Eman Okunja, while he also recorded an impressive top speed of 30.5km along with a host of crucial contributions during the Tags’ promotion-winning campaign. He scored twice against Heybridge Swifts to seal a 2-1 triumph and extend their winning streak to 20 goals, before notching a late winner against Felixstowe & Walton United to stretch it to 21. He also won a free kick that led to his assist for the winner against league leaders AFC Sudbury, and also scored his first hat-trick in an 8-1 win over Tilbury, and was consistently dangerous on the wing and through the middle throughout the season, whilst being effective with both feet as honed his skills in the lower echelons of the English football pyramid.

As such, his form saw him gain attention elsewhere with clubs at Steps One and Two beginning to circle, and led to an anticipated departure from Parkside with Jermaine destined for pastures new.

A trial at Barnet was followed by him appearing once more for DTFC, now known as Cannons Wood, before the Tags reached an agreement with a National League South side, with Chelmsford City showing faith to give him the opportunity to make the step up two divisions. Jermaine continued his rapid rise up the division by notching ten goals in a whopping 47 appearances for the Clarets, while his form in the sixth tier also saw him gain international recognition.

He first got the chance to represent Grenada when he made his debut in September 2023, coming on as a 76th minute substitute in a 1–1 draw against Suriname, and has since accumulated 15 caps and three goals, getting on the scoresheet for the first time on the global stage the following year against Saint Lucia as he quickly became a key attacking option for the national team in CONCACAF competitions.

This goal had come after a further move up the pyramid, with Francis now turning out for Barnet after the Bees opted to revisit their interest in the midfielder, and saw him join up with a side who at the time looked to destined for promotion to League Two. He only managed a handful of appearances under Dean Brennan though before departing on loan a month into the 2024/25 season, returning to Essex to join Braintree Town, during which he excelled with 35 appearances and nine goals.

His importance grew in Braintree’s midfield with his pace and creativity helping to drive attacks, and his form for the Iron brought a recall to the Grenada team, notably captaining the side for the second half of a 4–1 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands in November 2025, before a brief return to Barnet in April 2025 saw him appear once – a three-minute cameo away at Sutton – shortly before the Bees won the division and gained a return to the EFL after an eight-year absence.

Despite being unable to make a serious contribution during his time in North London, his stint at Braintree saw him maintain his reputation and ability at National League level and led to a move to Hartlepool last summer. He appeared fairly regularly in the North-East and scored three times, one of them a late goal to put the Pools ahead against Sutton which was only cancelled out by Edon Pruti’s stoppage time equaliser in October. Furthermore, Francis’ contributions have been notable in Hartlepool’s push for National League play-off promotion, where his pace and directness on the flank have added dynamism to the team’s forward play amid a competitive season, while manager Nicky Featherstone has praised his “unbelievable attitude”, especially during a chaotic period that has brought a change in management as well as more recently ownership.

Indeed, Landon Smith has replaced the controversial Raj Singh in charge at the Prestige Group Stadium, and, as such, a host of change is set to take place in County Durham. This is something that benefits Chris Agutter’s side though, as a supremely talented player in Francis has become available for a switch to the VBS Community Stadium, and sees him join up with the squad ahead of Saturday’s visit of Brackley Town, where another crucial three points is up for grabs.