ETHAN Kelly has earned the plaudits from Whitehaven head coach Gary Charlton following his first competitive match.

The Millom prop, who is on a month-long trial at Haven, had two tries disallowed in the 36-12 defeat away to Oldham in Betfred League One last Sunday.

And Whitehaven boss Charlton is impressed with what he has seen from Kelly so far.

“He did everything we wanted from him as a front-row forward and had three good stints for us, towards the end of the first half, early in the second half and in the closing 15 minutes," said Charlton.

“Ethan took the ball up hard, was quick on the play-the-ball and used the ball well. His defence was excellent, as well.

“He is proving a popular lad with the rest of the squad and has been quickly accepted. His enthusiasm is infectious and he is training really well.

“We thought he was definitely worth looking at for a month and that’s what will happen. So far we are very pleased."