Get an in-depth look into Sutton’s newest recruit: Tommy Reid.
Hailing from the same town as his new boss, Tommy Reid has become the first signing of the Chris Agutter era at Sutton, joining from Charlton Athletic until January.
Born in Hastings, Reid was picked up by Brighton & Hove Albion at the age of eight while Agutter was a coach at the Seagulls’ Academy, after being scouted at a youth tournament, rising through the ranks at the AMEX before going on to train with the First Team after their promotion to the Premier League in 2017.
During his time in Sussex, Reid established himself as one of the academy’s most promising young goalkeepers, progressing steadily through the age groups while balancing academics and intensive training under Brighton’s structured development pathway, accumulating regular appearances in both the Under-18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup across multiple seasons.
During his spell at Brighton, Reid was also called up to represent England at Under-15 and Under-16 level, allowing him to display his ability on the international stage, and saw him enhance his reputation as a technically gifted and composed young goalkeeper with a strong shot-stopping record and calm distribution; all qualities that later earned him moves into senior football and eventually a contract with Charlton.
Furthermore, he embarked on a host of loan spells which were key in giving him senior experience and exposure to men’s football, with short-term loans to Worthing, Burgess Hill Town and AFC Totton.
His first move to the Rebels was designed to give him early exposure to senior football at a competitive level, joining the club ahead of the 2021/22 season and saw him step in after the club’s first-choice goalkeeper was injured, showing composure and confidence during his debut against Enfield Town. He made several key saves and impressed with his distribution from the back – traits that reflected Brighton’s emphasis on modern, ball-playing goalkeepers.
His time at Worthing, despite being brief, gave him first-hand experience of the physical demands of non-league football and helped him mature as a shot-stopper, before adapting to the physicality and pace of senior football with another stint at Burgess Hill.
This laid the groundwork for later to a more extended senior loans at AFC Totton in early 2024, making his debut for the club in a 2-2 draw at Swindon Supermarine and soon after keeping a clean sheet in the Hampshire Senior Cup quarter-final against the Royal Navy FA side.
This preceded a permanent departure from Brighton, but a successful trial period at Charlton allowed him to jump straight back into professional football with a switch to the then-League One side.
Reid kept three clean sheets in five appearances for Chris Lock’s Under-21s as they kickstarted their 2024/25 season with an impressive unbeaten run, and did enough to earn a contract at The Valley. He subsequently got the chance to train regularly with Nathan Jones’ First Team squad, gaining crucial experience within a promotion-winning team last term.
As such, he was rewarded with a new contract until 2026 at the start of 2025, and now embarks on a key period in his career with a temporary switch to the National League.
