The 22-year-old followed his brother Freddie through the ranks at National League club Southend United`s academy before making his Football League debut in a 3-0 win at Oldham Athletic in April 2018.

Basildon-based, he also came on off the subs bench in the following game, away to Bradford City, before featuring in both of Blues’ first two EFL Trophy fixtures in 2018/19.

Unfortunately, twin medial ligament damage suffered in the match against Colchester United in that competition meant he started 2019/20 in the treatment room following surgery as he tries to carve out a professional career with the club that he has played for since joining from Lee Chapel Youth at the age of 8.

He excels in an attacking role but can play as a box-to-box midfielder, he scored 10 goals in 62 youth team appearances for Blues before earning his first pro contract in the summer of 2018.

He signed an extension to that in 2020 having made his comeback from injury with a goal away to Oxford in February of the same year. However, a cruel twist of fate early into the 2020/21 campaign saw him suffer another cruciate ligament injury against Portsmouth in an EFL Trophy match.

Saunders told https://www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk: “Lewis is a creative central midfielder who enjoys going box to box. He will be a fantastic addition to the Angels engine room, and I’m delighted to have got this one over the line”.