Manager Ricky Marheineke has continued his St Ives Town revamp ahead of their first season in the Southern League Premier Division.
Saints have completed the captures of three new players this evening after three of their promotion-winning stars moved on.
Marheineke has snapped up frontman Sam Ives from Histon and two players from their ProEdge Westwood Road tenants Cambridge City - experienced defender Lee Chaffey, who spent 13 years there, and highly-rated midfielder Buster Harradine.
Leaving Saints are captain and midfielder Luke Knight, wideman Phil Draycott and striker Danny Watson. All three of those players have chosen to stay at Division One (Central) level with Bedford Town after helping Saints to play-off glory last term.
Marheineke said: “It is important to keep some sort of continuity after the success of winning promotion, but it is essential to add classy and proven players to the squad.
“There is no doubt we will start next season with far more quality than with which we ended last season.
“Sam was the first player I met back in May, and it is a real coup for St Ives that he will be playing his football here.
“He is a class act who creates and scores goals, and it has been worth the wait to get a deal done with him.
“I feel sure that Lee will be another terrific capture for us. He is a first-class defender with a first-class attitude and his arrival gives me three exceptional central defenders to choose from.
“And Buster is another top footballer who was captain at Cambridge City. He can play anywhere from deep in midfield to up front and will be a real asset to us.
“I’d also like to thank Luke, Phil and Danny for their contributions to our success last season. They will go down in the history of this football club as being part of the team that got promoted, and I wish them all the best for the future.”
Marheineke has now signed a total of seven new players this summer. Centre back Liam McDevitt, midfielder Tom McGowan, and widemen Joe Carden and Josh Dawkin are the other new faces in the Saints squad that began pre-season training tonight.
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