While the soccer careers of Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne are at a crossroads, another local player's is about to take off.

Yesterday, North Village maestro Keith Jennings was signed by Canadian professional club Hamilton Thunder and will head north of the border on Monday.

The gifted player, who underwent trials with the Canadian Professional Soccer League side last February, will put the finishing touches to a one-year deal when he arrives on the outskirts of Toronto.

The Thunder concluded a brief two-match tour of the Island last week in which they came away with a 1-0 win and a 2-2 draw against a local select comprised of both Premier and First Division players.

And the team will kick off their 2003 season on May 26 with Jennings (25) expected to play a key role in the midfield.

The Canadian side also had an eye out for Jennings' younger cousin Jemeiko just prior to their arrival on the Island, but for one reason or another that option was not taken up.

Jennings now becomes the second member in his family to attain professional status after sibling Kentoine enjoyed a brief stint at Hereford United in the English league in the early 1990s.

Jennings was also nominated for last season's Bermuda Football Association Most Valuable Player of the Year Award which was eventually won by Devonshire Cougars ace Raymond Beach.

Now on the verge of swapping the red and white of North Village for the blue and white of the Thunder, the player is ready and raring for the new challenge.

"I'm excited . . . it's something that I always wanted to do!" he said yesterday.

"They were very impressed by my performances last week and I think that they were even more impressed because I was playing more in attack instead of in the midfield."

Coming off another winning season at Village, Jennings hardly has time to begin preparations for a new gruelling campaign at Thunder. Still, that doesn't seem to bother Jennings in the least.

"I feel pretty good. I have been doing a lot of physical training in an attempt to get my fitness level up," he said.

"I haven't been doing too much with the ball because the main thing is to be fit, besides, the ball work comes pretty natural."

The talented player said it had been a dream of his to aspire to the professional ranks.

"You could say that I am a bit nervous but it isn't really the first time that I have played against high-quality players," said Jennings.

When asked how it would feel to leave behind his team-mates at Bernard Park, Jennings replied: "They have had to do without me before, so I guess they will be alright. Besides, they have a lot of young players coming up.

"Hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, I might be able to rejoin them in October when the season ends in Canada - that's if the Thunder release me to come back and play.

"But if they say no then no is no because playing in Bermuda was for fun but this is for a pay cheque."

Village coach Scott Morton wished his player well in his future professional endeavours.

"Keith has been very dedicated to this cause - that of making this opportunity successful for him," said Morton yesterday.

"I give him a lot of credit because I know the sort of dedication that he has put in.

"So it's just reward that he received this contract to play professionally.

"He performed extremely well this past season and has been a key player for us.

"Keith was probably one of our most valuable players and I just hope that he continues on and adapts as best as he can to the professional level.

"He will definitely leave a bit of a void at the club because Keith is the type of player that can do things that are not coachable.

"It's always going to be difficult to replace a player like that but it will also leave a void for someone else to step into."