CHIPPENHAM TOWN: Bluebirds to unveil signing (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

CHIPPENHAM TOWN: Bluebirds to unveil signing

3:00pm Friday 22nd June 2012 in Sport By Dan Barnes

CHIPPENHAM Town are planning to lift the lid on their summer business and unveil a marquee signing for the new season on Monday.

The Bluebirds have invited fans down to the Blues Bar at Hardenhuish Park at 7pm where at least one new player will be revealed to supporters.

The club have remained tight-lipped on the identity of new arrivals, although Frome winger Luke Ballinger has already indicated his intention to move to Hardenhuish Park for next season.

Chippenham chief Nathan Rudge said last month that he wouldn’t rush to announce new recruits this summer and this week added: “We’ve been going about our business quietly and myself, Richard (Fey, assistant manager) and Adie (Mings, director of football) have all been working really hard.

“We’ve only had Lewis Powell, Ross Stearn and potentially Greg Tindle leave but we’ve brought in some good players to replace them.

“John Applegate (chairman) and Neil (Blackmore, vice-chairman) have been really good to us too.

“Hopefully we can give the fans a bit of a boost on Monday.

“We do have a budget to work to and that’s the way it is. I wouldn’t have taken the job if I wasn’t prepared to work with it.

“We’ve done well with what we’ve got and there are probably a lot of other clubs that have much bigger budgets than we do.

“If you look at Kettering, who are supposed to be working with around £20,000 a month, then that shows what you’re up against.”

Stearn was the latest departure from Chippenham after signing for Weston-super-Mare earlier this month.

But Rudge maintains that the door will remain open for the young winger at Hardenhuish Park.

“Ross was one of the players that I’d like to have kept because I thought that I could develop him as a player,” said the Bluebirds player-boss.

“I’ve said to him to give it a go but if it doesn’t work out, he’d be welcome back here.

“I’d never stand in the way of a player going to play at a higher level because I would have loved to do it and it probably happened to me a few times.”

Striker Lewis Powell has already moved on to Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division rivals Leamington, while defender Greg Tindle hopes to earn a deal with a Conference club.