“I am coming home, back to where I belong”, were the words of Guiseley returnee Lebrun Mbeka as he moves back to Nethermoor for the new season, writes Rachel O’Connor.

Clearly overjoyed at the reality of his return to Nethermoor the highly-rated, versatile player said: “I am so happy to going back to where I belong, back to my home, the place and the fans I have missed.”

He added: “Once Sporting Director Russ O’Neill outlined what the club’s ambitions were for the upcoming season I could not wait to join. I clearly believe that Guiseley should not just be aiming to get back to National North but also to the National League, that is where they belong.”

Mbeka said that he knew quite a few of the players who will make up Mark Bower’s squad and had played against some of the others.

“I played alongside Jameel Ible for Guiseley when I was on loan from Boston and I played with Jake Wright at Boston. I cannot wait to play alongside Prince again, what a player he is,” said Mbeka.

Mbeka of course can play in both midfield and at centre-back and it is the latter position where the 27 year-old has spent most of his time whilst at Spennymoor Town over the last couple of seasons.

The England-born player, who holds dual nationality with the DR Congo, was a midfielder until the Guiseley management duo of Russ O’Neill and Marcus Bignot moved him to centre-back.

“They saw something in my attributes that made them move me to centre-back, they made me into the new, improved version of Mbeka,” he laughed.

Obviously full of the joys of moving back to Nethermoor Mbeka is looking forward to pre-season training getting underway.

He said: “I cannot wait for it to start. I like to work hard and be professional. I am very pleased to be coming back to Guiseley.”

Of his latest signing manager Mark Bower said: “Lebrun is a player proven at a higher level and we have done well to bring him back to the club. He is a top, top player who can play either in midfield or in defence.

“He wants to get us to the levels that he has been playing at over the last few seasons. He is really popular with our supporters so it won’t take him long to settle back in.”

Mbeka joins Guiseley after almost two seasons at Spennymoor Town. He joined them in January 2023 when the Club stumped up an undisclosed fee to bring him in from Boston United.

He first caught the eye in English football during spells across Yorkshire with the likes of Sheffield FC, Tadcaster Albion, Ossett Albion and Ossett United and had a dual registration with Goole and Parkgate.

However, it was a stint in the colours of Guiseley which really got Mbeka some attention and his consistent performances earned him a move to Boston United in the summer of 2022.

Mbeka first joined Guiseley in the summer of 2021 after impressing in pre-season training and friendly games. The Rotherham-based player scored the only goal in a win over Thackley.

He went on to make 68 appearances in a Guiseley shirt and scored eight goals. He later turned out for The Lions in a seven game loan spell from Boston in the 2022-23 season in which he scored one goal.