Ilkeston Town - David Holdsworth, manager of UniBond League Premier Division club Ilkeston Town, has added two more signings to his squad, adding to the recent arrival of vastly-experienced defender Paul Hurst from Rotherham United. The 33-year-old left-back, who spent a loan spell with Burton Albion last season, made nearly 500 appearances for Rotherham in fifteen years of service. "I am delighted to have Paul on board," said Holdsworth. "He is a great professional and an ideal role model for the younger players." Holdsworth has also signed former Stockport County goalkeeper Chris Adamson and ex-Eastwood Town striker Anthony Howell. Adamson, 29, started his career with West Brom and had loans spells out with a number of teams, including Halesowen Town. He moved over to Ireland to play for St Patrick`s Athletic before returning to England with Sheffield Wednesday in 2005. Two years later he signed a one-year contract with Stockport, from where he was released at the end of last season. Howell spent time with Notts County during the 2006/07 season and they wanted to offer him a contract but unable to do so at that time. Having begun the 2005/06 campaign with then Northern Counties East outfit Carlton Town, Howell joined Shepshed Dynamo having impressed against them in the FA Cup. He spent just over twelve months with Dynamo, before rejoining Carlton in November 2006 and then onto Grantham Town in February 2007. A move to Eastwood followed in the summer of 2007 before a step up to Blue Square North neighbours Hucknall Town came a couple of months later.

Former Mansfield Town triallist Paul Hurst has signed for UniBond League Premier Division club Ilkeston Town. The left-back - released by Rotherham United at the end of last season - has featured in the Stags' summer friendlies, but he has joined the Robins on a one-year deal with the option of a second. Hurst, 33 has played almost 500 times in the Football League. Mansfield boss Billy McEwan today confirmed he did offer the player a deal. He said: "We made him a realistic offer and I thought he might have took it. "But I think the lad can earn more money playing part-time together with a job."

Matlock Town - UniBond League Premier Division club Matlock Town increased their summer signing spree to seven with the acquisition of former Chesterfield winger Jamie Jackson. The 21-year-old, who had two loan spells at Causeway Lane last season, was released by the Spireites in May and has featured in all of the Gladiators` pre-season fixtures. Jackson ,who has an electrifying burst of speed and a bundle of tricks in his locker, had been hoping to find another Football League club but thus far his hopes have been dashed. An in-form Jackson will undoubtedly add quality to Matlock's attacking options and joint boss Phil Brown was delighted with the Gladiators latest recruit. "We're absolutely delighted that Jamie has joined us for he's looked exciting in pre-season and we hope that he carries on in the same vein. “He'll give us a lot of attacking options. We've been trying to persuade him to sign for all of the pre season programme and he'd been holding out for a League club which is understandable but he's come to Matlock and bow it's up to him. He's a very gifted player and we're all looking forward to him showing his undoubted quality in a Matlock shirt." An experimental Matlock line up lost 2-0 at home to Mansfield Town with the Stags scoring both of their goals late in the game. The Gladiators play their final friendly when they travel to Belper Town on Saturday.

Phil Brown, joint-manager of UniBond League Premier Division club Matlock Town, reckons everyone who attended Tuesday night's pre-season friendly victory against a Sheffield United X1 will have enjoyed the fare served up by the Gladiators and he hopes the fans have the appetite for more. Brown and fellow boss Gareth Williams sent out an all attacking line up to face the Blades, and as at Rainworth Miners Welfare last Saturday, he started the match with all three of his main strikers as last season's leading marksman Simon Barraclough slotted in the hole between the midfield three and Dene Cropper and Ross Hannah. "When the lads came off at half time on Tuesday night, we both said how much we'd enjoyed watching that. We had pace, movement and lots of quality, creating a lot of chances. That's how we want to play and we feel that's what the supporters want to come and watch. We hope those that came enjoyed what they saw and will want more. We as managers want to see the lads play like that, although we know that we will face much tougher opponents when the league games start." But Tuesday's win shows that Matlock are capable of playing crowd pleasing entertaining football and the 3-1 victory, courtesy of goals from central defenders Ashley Foyle and Ryan Laight, plus one from Barraclough, came hot on the heels of Saturday's 6-1 destruction of Koolsport Northern Counties East League First Division outfit Rainworth. Nathan Benger gave the bosses a timely reminder that there are more than three strikers looking for a regular spot when he plundered a fifteen minute hat-trick to add to goals from Cropper, Hannah and Reuben Wiggins-Thomas. And with the likes of Benger, Gary Webster and Matty Caudwell having to spend time on the bench in recent friendlies, Brown believes there is real competition for places with the new season now just over a week away. "We've chatted with Nathan, Gary and Matty and told them that their recent performances haven't gone unnoticed" Brown admitted. "It's a long season ahead and we haven't yet totally finalised our plans for the first game. There are still places up for grabs and to be fair it's going to be a real tough decision who to play in some positions on August 16th. But it's a good feeling to have that you know you've got strength in depth." The managers can run the rule over their squad in two more friendlies before their tasty UniBond League opener when they travel to Gigg Lane, Bury to take on FC United of Manchester. Billy McEwan sends his Mansfield Town side to Causeway Lane on Thursday as several potential Stags players will be on show trying to earn a contract at Field Mill ahead of what fans will hope will be a season when they make an instant return to the Football League after slipping into the Blue Square Premier at the end of last season. Then on Saturday, the Gladiators final pre-season friendly sees them make the short journey down the A6 to face UniBond Division One South neighbours Belper Town in a game which will have extra spice. Not only will Ross Hannah be making his first return to Christchurch Meadow following his transfer to Matlock in the summer, but the teams will be playing for the Caroline Melbourne Cup in memory of a staunch Nailers fan who tragically died three years ago "The Belper and Mansfield games give us the opportunity to look at one or two more things, and that's why we've gone for nine pre season matches," explained Brown. "And the way things have gone, the games have given us plenty of food for thought. Mansfield will be a good test for us and I would imagine the Belper game will be very competitive with us playing a fellow UniBond side but both sides like to play football and get the ball down. With a cup to play for it'll make it that bit more interesting and we expect it to be another entertaining affair for the fans," Midfielder Matty Thorpe should return to the squad having missed the Rainworth and Sheffield United wins with a foot injury. Meanwhile, Matlock have announced another signing and probably their youngest ever to be given a contract. Sixteen-year-old locally-based midfielder Darren Cartwright, who hails from Ireton Wood, and has progressed through the Gladiators under-19 squad to play for their newly-formed reserve side, signed on the dotted line last weekend. Brown and Williams feel this is a significant addition to their squad and Cartwright is expected to play some part at Christchurch Meadow. "When the reserves played Mickleover's first team last week he stood head and shoulders above everyone else. We know that both Craig Hopkins and Glenn Kirkwood (Matlock's reserve team managers) have been very impressed with him," enthused Williams. Brown added: "This shows the merits of having a reserve and youth team set up and once again is indicative of our policy of signing young players and bringing them on."

Phil Brown admitted that he and fellow Matlock Town joint boss Gareth Williams have a fair idea of the composition of the side they hope to field in their opening UniBond League Premier Division clash of the new season at FC United of Manchester in a fortnight's time. The Gladiators have been back training now for a month and have played four warm-up games beatung Staveley Miners Welfare, drawing with a Blackburn Rovers XI and Carlton Town and going down by the only goal of the game to Chesterfield. And with a few more friendly games still to be played before the trip to Gigg Lane, opportunity knocks for players to confirm their starting place and build up their fitness levels. "We know pretty much the side we want to field but there are still places up for grabs," said Brown. "We'll now be starting to use a smaller squad and we're gradually getting to the stage where we're thinking towards when the league games start with players now wanting ninety minutes under their belts." Brown and Williams are highly satisfied with the six signings made during the summer and their pre season programme so far. The latest addition to their squad is 19-year-old Simon Harrison, who joins fellow midfielder Liam King as the second player to move from Rotherham United to Matlock this summer. Harrison has looked impressive in his outings to date for the Gladiators with Brown acknowledging that midfield was an area that needed surgery ahead of the new campaign. "We're very pleased to have him. He's shown a lot of promise and we reckon we've got a very good player which sees our policy of signing up and coming young players continue. We were very conscious after last year that midfield was an area that we needed to strengthen. It was our priority really and with Simon, Liam and Steve Warne we feel we've done just that. We're very happy with all the players we've brought in. As for further additions you never say never. We're still looking at bringing others in but it's not so desperate now we've got the six new lads in. But ideally we'd like to strengthen one more area of the squad and if the right player comes along we'll do it."

Eastwood Town - Paul Cox, manager of UniBond League Premier Division club Eastwood Town, has urged caution to players and fans about complacency in the run up to the start of the new season. Although the Badgers remain unbeaten going into their final pre-season friendly against Gresley Rovers this Saturday, Cox revealed he was still looking to strengthen his squad and is currently in talks with one player that has bags of Football League experience. Cox said: "From a players` perspective it's all about being focused and not becoming complacent. The only way I can ensure that is to create a competitive culture within the club and to have good players challenging for each and every shirt. To be fair to the players we already have here, I don't think they would have it any other way. "Football never stands still and is constantly evolving. We have a good squad but it's inevitable that players will move, sustain injuries, or lose form. The exciting prospect for me is that for the first time in my management career, I am in a position to bring in better players than we already have. "We have had numerous agents and players contact us during the summer, some we have invited over, others given a polite no thanks. One thing is for certain, the word is spreading about what we are trying to achieve here at Eastwood."

Interest in UniBond League Premier Division club Eastwood Town is on the rise in the wake of the new signings, the club has announced. Season ticket sales are set to break three figures for the first time in the club`s history, as the club aim to launch an all out offensive on the title. With several big attendances anticipated against FC United of Manchester, Boston United and the Derbyshire trio of Ilkeston Town, Buxton and Matlock Town, the club aim to average 350-plus this season, which would be a remarkable achievement considering they were lucky to average around the 100 mark prior to former chairman Keith Smith's involvement five years ago. In addition, the club`s website reports that it had a record number of hits in July with in excess of 11,500 visitors logging onto the site for the latest information. In the last year the club has seen the number of people using the website increase dramatically. The site has recorded 110,000 visitors over the past 12 months, compared with 155,000 over the previous five years. With a new, visually superior website on the horizon, and record viewing figures, the club are looking to explore more new commercial avenues.