TJ Young could immediately tell upon first watching Lekan Sule that he possessed all the raw ingredients required to thrive in Northern Irish football – and he’s now backing the young man he drove to Bangor Amateurs training sessions to seize his Glentoran opportunity.

The Glens, one of the Irish League’s most successful clubs, announced the arrival of Nigeria-born Sule on Thursday – an unknown quantity to many, but not Young.

With Sule struggling for senior opportunities at H&W Welders after a spell at Ards and in Glentoran’s academy, Young convinced the 20-year-old to join him in NAFL Division 1B – and it didn’t take the attacker long to make an impression.

Sule scored four goals in just his second match – a 9-1 league win over Grove United in January 2025 – and had earned a move to Rosario this summer ahead of their debut in the newly-formed National Conference League Premier Division.

placeholder image — Lekan Sule impressed while playing for Bangor Amateurs in the Amateur League. (Photo by Bangor Amateurs FC)

However, a dazzling pre-season performance against Glentoran has accelerated his rapid rise straight to the Premiership, just over four months on from playing in the Amateur League’s Division 3B for Bangor Amateurs’ reserve side.

"I've known Lekan for a good few years because he used to play at 1st Bangor under my nephew Lewis,” Young told the News Letter. “He went to Glentoran’s development team from there and it didn't work out for him.

"He ended up going to Ards and then the Welders. I was manager of Bangor Amateurs and we played them in a friendly – Lekan was a stand out for them.

"I heard he wasn't getting a chance in the senior set-up at the Welders and I approached him and asked if he would come to us, so that's how he ended up down at Bangor Amateurs.

"I'm very close to Lekan. He doesn't drive so I was picking him up and bringing him to training with us, I've been very close to what's been going on with Lekan.

"A lot of other clubs were looking to sign him and offered him different things. He's moving into Belfast to live and the opportunity came for him to go to Rosario and that's when I spoke to Chris Morgan about him.

"I said ‘Chris, I've got a player here that I think will do well in the Conference and is ready to push on’. Chris said he would bring him up and have a look – then he text me saying ‘you didn't tell me he was that good!’."

On paper – and on the pitch – it looks like a huge step up for Sule, who scored in his sole league appearance for Rosario 13 days ago.

A move to Glentoran, one of the Irish League’s four full-time clubs, presents Sule with an opportunity to dedicate himself fully to the craft, training on a permanent basis as he looks to showcase the ability Young knows he possesses.

"Lekan has a lot to learn in the game,” added Young. “He's only young so that’s normal and he’s still developing.

"We played Ballymacash in the cup last year and Gary Hamilton was raving about him afterwards.

"He was saying about trying to take him, but I just didn't think it was right last year because that was the first time he had played men's football and I thought that's what he needed.

"He's got raw talent, he's really strong, he's athletic, and he has a real desire to go forward – he's got everything that you'd want.

"He has a really grounded family who look after him as well, he’s a really, really nice lad.

"There's a real lack of quality players of his type about. He's so fast over 10 yards, he's strong.

"The only thing I’ll say is he can't head for anything and he's six foot – I said to him he needs to cut his hair or something!

"I'm so pleased for him because he'll want it at Glentoran, he will want to push on.

"He will become a better player by playing with better players. The Amateur League was hard physically, it's not the level of football he needed to be at, but it got him ready.

"Training on a full-time basis with Glentoran, he will flourish.”

Sule has walked an unfamiliar path with his progression from the Amateur League to Premiership inside a matter of months, but is it possible there’s an untapped market of potential with hidden gems just like him waiting for their chance?

"I manage the Amateur League Select side so I know there's loads of good players in it, I'm an advocate for the Amateur League,” said Young. “There's a lot of good players, but they’re in the Amateur League for commitment reasons or different things.

"Some young lads in these academies think they can walk straight out of a Linfield Swifts or a team like that and into the Amateur League, but they get a rude awakening...they realise the Amateur League isn’t what they thought it was.

"The Premier Division of the Amateur League is a really strong league, there's quality – it doesn't matter what team you play against, you'll always have three or four quality players on it.”