Hednesford boss driving club forward

Hednesford Town boss Rob Smith claims he's clocked up thousands of miles over the past two weeks in the hunt for new players.

The hard-working Evo-Stik NPL Premier manager believes his motorway miles are paying off with the ongoing recruitment drive already a success. Midfielder Phil Clarke is making a welcome return to Keys Park after resigning from Burscough and Smith believes more new faces are on the way.

Smith said: "I must have clocked up thousands of miles and had over twenty meetings with players, as I'm sure all managers have. This is the busiest time of the season for me, it can be very draining at times but we must be patient to get the right players in."

Smith added that he is delighted to have secured lively midfielder Clarke and revealed the signing was helped through after he signed three players from the North West who'll help with his travel arrangements on match days.

"Phil is a player I rate very highly and I did not want to see him go last season but he does not drive and catching numerous trains three times a week just became too much," said Smith. "Now he can get lifts with the other lads so it was a no brainer to me."

Hednesford's pre-season training kicks off on 1 July ahead of the club's first outing against and AFC Wulfrunians on Tuesday 10 July.

On Thursday Smith told the club's local paper, The Express and Star, that more signings are on the way and he would continue his travels to find the right players to improve his squad.