Avro sign quartet ahead of Step 4 debut

Brothers Deane and Dominic Smalley have joined the club from Wythenshawe Town, whilst forward Vani Da Silva and winger KudaChingwaro, who were last at Oldham Athletic and Northwich Victoria respectively, have also penned deals at Whitebank Stadium.

Manager Alex Frost feels that the four new faces perfectly complement last season’s promotion winning squad, who have nearly all chosen to stay at the club for its debut in Step 4 football.

"We know Deane and Dominic well from our games against Wythenshawe over the last couple of seasons," he said.

"They are extremely experienced defenders who have the same desire and hunger that they had when they started out – they play every match as if it were going to be their last one.

"I believe that they will be massive assets to us as we get used to playing a higher level of opposition on a weekly basis.

"Vani and Kuda are both really exciting prospects for us. I think it is important that Vani has spent time on loan at decent non-league clubs during his time at Oldham, so he knows what this level of football is all about.

"We have been very impressed with Kuda when he has played against us for Barnoldswick and Vics, and we are confident that he can make the step up."

Meanwhile the club have confirmed that fans will have a second opportunity to take advantage of their Pay What You Can Afford season ticket offer at this Saturday’s friendly against Wythenshawe FC, a scheme which proved very popular prior to last Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw against Radcliffe FC in their pre-season opener.

"We are very conscious of the fact that times are hard, and money is tight for many football fans who live in our local community," said Frost.

"We are so excited about what lies ahead, but we want to be able to share that experience with as many people as possible. This initiative gives us the opportunity to do just that."

Photo credit: Alicia Day