Matty Kosylo, master exponent of football’s fine arts, sprinkler of matchday magic, scourge of opposition defences and … Alty’s latest signing for next season!

Aly fans have been enthralled by Matty’s trickery, vision and speed of thought and movement since he was reunited with Phil Parkinson nearly two years ago.

And the great news is his attacking flair will be driving Alty on once again next season after he agreed a new deal and took the number of senior players already secured for the dawn of full-time professional football at The J.Davidson Stadium into double figures.

Alty boss Parkinson underlined the significance of his latest breakthrough, in moulding the best-possible squad for the start of the professional era by saying:

‘Kossy is our own Ukrainian wing wizard - he’s growing into the 10 role with equal quality and attacking prowess. His versatility, ability and loyalty make him an absolute must, in terms of signing for us in the new full-time model.’

Matty joined Alty in August 2020 after a disappointing spell with AFC Fylde and was soon back to his scintillating best under Phil. That didn’t happen by chance. The pair were together at Nantwich Town, and in an interview with Alty TV, on the day he signed for the Robins, Matty explained the effect playing for the right manager has on him.

‘I was struggling football-wise when he became manager, but he turned me round and got me focused on events on the pitch, and I kicked on from there,’ he said. ‘For instance, when he took over, he rang me straightaway, rather than message or wait to see us all at the ground.

‘We didn’t know each other at the time, but that call was so positive, stuff like “I’ve heard good things about you” and so on. He makes you feel you are probably better than you actually are.

‘He made time for my Mrs and he made time for my dad, and it’s little things like that. Small details matter. We’re all human beings. It’s like in any job - if you take time to build a relationship with someone and make them feel wanted, they are going to perform better. He has been like that from day dot.

‘I’ve had a good relationship with him from the day he took over at Nantwich. I will always have that level of respect for him for what he did for me, and I’m buzzing to be playing for him again.’

The Parky effect has been evident again in their time together at Alty. Matty hit the ground running in Alty colours and quickly established himself as a firm favourite in his debut season, opening up defences and having a hand in any number of goals. But he only scored three himself.

Cue some Parky fine-tuning, with the boss urging Kossy to be a little less selfless and more single-minded about finishing off opportunities himself, and the upshot was there for all to see, as he trebled his scoring output to 10 goals from 36 appearances, 31 of which were starts.

That’s some ratio for an attacking midfielder, and the tally included a goal-of-the-season contender, a brilliant solo effort against Weymouth that was voted second-best of the campaign by supporters, behind a Ryan Colclough special that won the award.

Here’s hoping for more of the same next season after Matty put pen to paper and confirmed he will be part of the professional era at The J.Davidson Stadium. Well done, Matty - fantastic news!