JOAO Rangel admits the trust and support he has received at Leiston made it an enjoyable first season for him at the Flannery Stadium. And he tells Blues fans, 'there is more to come'.

The attacking winger, who joined the Blues from Lowestoft a year ago, scored twice in the first three games for Chris Wigger's side, against Halesowen Town and Banbury United last campaign. It helped him settle in nicely and kick on from there.

“I feel like I’ve settled in really well early on”, Rangel said.

“The players made me very welcome and made it easy for me to fit into the group. Chris Wigger put a lot of faith in me this season, giving me the opportunity to play consistently and for 90 minutes, which as a player, is really important. I’m grateful for the trust from the staff and the support from everyone around the club.”

Rangel ended up with eight goals overall, from 42 appearances in his first full season at the Flannery Stadium.

“I feel from a personal point of view I had a strong season and looking at the season as a whole, it was probably my most consistent season in terms of stats and producing good performances. But there is more to come and I want to improve next season.”

Rangel missed games in October 2025 and March this year as he headed off to play for Timor-Leste in the Asian Cup Qualifiers. The Blues playmaker made his debut away against the Philippines, and scored a great debut goal in first half stoppage time, although Timor-Leste went on to lose the game in the second half, 3-1.

He then played against the Maldives in their last group match, losing 2-1.

“I’ve got two more games for Timor-Leste coming up again in June, as we play Brunei twice in a two-legged affair (June 2nd and 9th), as we try and qualify for the Hyundai Cup, which takes place the same time as the World Cup, so I have been keeping myself ticking over. My main focus will be to try and help us qualify for that tournament.

“Representing your country is one of the best feelings you can have as a player and it’s something really hard to describe. It’s always an honour to wear the badge and I’m really looking forward to going away with the team this summer.”

On looking ahead to a new season, Joao is keen to improve individually and help the Blues finish higher in the table this season.

He said: “The main goal is just to help the team as much as possible, to push for the play-offs and improve on what we achieved last season. Personally, I just want to keep developing my game, stay consistent and contribute wherever I can for the team.”

Joao will be back in pre-season at the end of June with Leiston.