Nantwich Town bolster their ranks with six new signings

Pic: Nantwich Town FC

NANTWICH TOWN boss Phil Parkinson says his six new signings show the club are determined to “finish the season as high as possible”.

The Dabbers’ FA Trophy run ended at the semi-final stage after the 6-4 aggregate defeat to National League side FC Halifax Town and the extra games have left them playing catch up on their league rivals.

The shock 5-0 defeat to Darlington 1883 on Tuesday night left them 16 points outside the play-off spots but they have up to five games in hand on some of their rivals.

With matches set to come thick and fast, and with a mounting injury list, Parkinson moved to bring in four new faces – and two familiar ones – ahead of Thursday’s registration deadline.

Highly-rated Hungarian U19 international goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai arrives on loan from Premier League side Stoke City until the end of the season while 20-year-old right-back James Baillie comes in on a similar deal from neighbours Crewe Alexandra.

Also arriving at the Weaver Stadium are former Boston United full-back Tommy Cooney and ex-Celtic, Stockport and The New Saints defender or midfielder Curtis Jones.

Experienced midfielder Nicky Platt and striker Max Harrop have also returned to the Dabbers and boss Parkinson said: “I am delighted that we have been able to bring such a talented group of players into the club at this stage of the season.

“We have a fantastic squad of players already here, and together they have achieved so much, but we are still hungry and passionate to finish the season as high as possible to give our loyal supporters some more memorable games and something to get excited about as we prepare for next season

“The frustratingly large number of injuries we currently have has meant the need to add to our squad to ensure that we stay on course to achieve our objectives for the season.”

Director of football operations Jon Gold added: “Following the magnificent FA Trophy heroics and the resulting unprecedented injuries to such a large number of key players, it was clear that we needed to strengthen our squad quickly.”