'Irons in the fire' - Kelvin Davis hints at more Hednesford Town signings

Kelvin Davis revealed his Hednesford Town have “irons in the fire” as they target further attacking additions ahead of the new season.

A major squad overhaul has taken place at Keys Park after the Pitmen turned full-time following back-to-back promotions to the National League North.

A host of high-profile signings have arrived this summer as part of an ambitious rebuild, but head coach Davis says his recruitment drive is not yet complete.

“I ideally would like one or two more,” he told the Express & Star.

“I think there’s room still at the top end of the pitch for us to improve the numbers in terms of our strikers and our attacking options.

“It’s very important that we stick to the process of our recruitment strategy. First of all, we’ve got to find the right profile. That means every box being ticked, let’s not jump in with someone who’s available.

“It means that there’s obviously financial restrictions on that. There’s also an age restriction on that. Then there’s the profile of the personality and what you can add to the squad.

“We want to have the ability to play in different ways. For that, you need different profiles and different talents.

“That would be an area that we’re looking to improve in. We’ve got one or two irons in the fire. We’ve got two or three on our list that would suit.”

Hednesford have recruited from both the Football League and National League this summer, including players from clubs in their own division.

Jamie Cooke, who joined from Halifax Town, was the first signing of the rebuild and has made an impressive start, scoring his fourth pre-season goal in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Connah's Quay Nomads.

With the league campaign fast approaching, Davis explained why patience remains crucial in the transfer market.

He continued: “With recruitment, it’s always very difficult. The easy part is highlighting them.

The difficult part is actually getting them in the door.

“There’s an expectation as well that players have at this time of the season, everybody wants to play, and I understand that. Everybody wants a good deal for themselves.

“We’re just in a position where we’re taking our time a little because it needs to be absolutely right. We don’t want to get to these final stages of recruitment and add something that’s not needed or something that’s not going to improve us.”