Veteran offered swansong season

At 47-years-old, the stopper is set to be three decades older than many of his teammates and opponents in EVO-STIK League South when the 2017-18 season kicks off after signing for new Steelmen player-manager David Bell on Thursday following a spell together at Stamford AFC last term.

Bastock, pictured, is definitely not short on experience having played in well over a 1,000 matches during a long and colourful career stretching back to Coventry City as a schoolboy scholar and winning the prestigious FA Youth Cup 1987.

After being snapped by Cambridge City, the keeper moved into Non-League at Fisher Athletic before spells at Dagenham & Redbridge, Dunstable Town, Kettering Town, Scarborough, St Albans, St Neots Town, Royston Town and Worksop Town. During a 12 year stay in two spells at Boston United, Bastock made more than 650 appearances while winning the Southern League and earning promotion to the Football League as Football Conference champions.

Using his Twitter account @bazza1115, Bastock told fans on Thursday that he was "chuffed" to be given the chance of another season while a number of well-wishers betted against him ever hanging up his gloves voluntarily.

Basford's signed comes after the Steelmen hammered a team of Premier League legends as Marathonbet's #NonLeagueChallenge winners at Steel Park on Sunday.

After banking £10,000 in May when Jason Lee's now famous beer swilling goal celebration was named as last season's greatest grassroots goal celebration at the Non-League Paper's National Game Awards, the Steelmen beat a team packed full of former top flight stars 6-1 as they collected the second half of their prize in style while raising funds for Prostate Cancer UK.

Image courtesy of nonleague.pitchero.com

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