Byfield's boys ready to thrill the Town supporters

STRATFORD Town midfielder Will Grocott feels the club could be in for a special season under new manager Darren Byfield.

Town begin their new Southern League Premier Division Central campaign this Saturday following a goal-laden pre-season.

Byfield’s side struck 18 times in their eight warm-up matches and the quality of his signings over the summer suggest goals will not be in short supply.

The likes of Callum Powell, Wilson Carvalho, Lewis Wilson, Kynan Isaac, Claudio Dias and Nabil Shariff offer Town a plethora of options going forward and Grocott feels the Town supporters are in for a treat.

“It’s going to be a very exciting season,” said Grocott, who was named Town’s player of the season for 2016/17.

“There is so much pace in the team now and it’s definitely going to be great to watch from the fans’ point of view.

“This season is looking very good. It’s been difficult as we’ve had a lot of players coming and going on trial, but we’ve sorted our shape now and all of the team understands their jobs and what we have to do.

“The team morale is good, we all get on, we just have to see what happens now.”

Arguably the most important signing so far arrived this week, with the capture of experienced goalkeeper Nathan Vaughan.

The 37-year-old returns to the club after making one appearance for Town back in August 2016, a performance that earned him the man-of-the-match award in a 3-2 win over Hitchin.

Vaughan has plenty of National League experience under his belt, having previously had spells at Kidderminster Harriers, Worcester City, Chester and Solihull Moors.

At Moors last season, Vaughan made a name for himself by scoring in an away win at Torquay United in August.

It led to him to winning the National League player of the month award.

“We looked at a number of goalkeepers in pre-season,” said Byfield.

“It was the experience of Nathan that attracted us to him. Vocally, he will help us a lot this season.”

Other players to sign on the dotted line this week include central defenders Jordan Williams and Jamie McAteer.

Williams, 20, was at Brackley Town last season following three successful seasons at Cambridge United, while the imposing McAteer arrives from Bedworth United, having previously played for Coalville and Barwell.

Byfield said: “Jordan has come on and done very well, he’s a commanding centre-half and good with the ball too, which is a necessity.

“Jamie has been superb in pre-season He’s another commanding centre-half, he wins headers and organises.”

Tricky winger Carvalho also signed this week, a player Grocott knows well from his time at Kettering Town.

“Wilson is a very, very good player,” said Grocott.

“He’s quick, good on the ball and he’s going to create loads of chances for us.”

Town kick off their campaign with a home game against St Neots on Saturday, followed by a testing trip to Stourbridge on Monday night.