Whitby Town are delighted to announce the signing of centre-back Jonathan Burn, who joins the club from Northern League Division One side Whickham.

Jonny, 23, began his career in the Sunderland academy having joined them at the age of 13 but made the switch to the Middlesbrough youth setup where he progressed his career.

He signed a full-time contract with Boro before being sent out on loan to Oldham Athletic where he scored his first professional goal in a 1-1 draw with Doncaster Rovers.

Whilst based at Rockliffe Park, Burn also went out on loan to Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock.

With game time hard to find at the Riverside Stadium the defender decided to move on and he joined Bristol Rovers in League One.

His full debut came in a 1-0 defeat to Coventry City, but despite a poor showing from the Rovers side, Burn's performance stood out and he gained praise from the local newspaper, the Bristol Post.

But Burn couldn't get a consistent run in the team and he returned north to join National League North club, York City on loan.

At the end of the 2017/18 campaign, Burn was released at the Memorial Ground so he took the opportunity to return to his native North-East and sign for hometown club Darlington where he remained until October 2019 before joining Whickham.

Jonny has been brought in as a centre-half, but he can also play in a holding-midfield role giving Chris Hardy another versatile option next season.