Also pre-season news from Huntingdon Town and St Ives

PRE-SEASON is now in full swing for Huntingdonshire’s top senior football clubs as they gear up for the new season.

Godmanchester Rovers were 1-0 home winners over Royston Town on Saturday, with Mickey Hyem grabbing the only goal of the game.

Rovers, who also shared a 2-2 warm-up draw with Chatteris on the 3G surface at Witchford on July 12, have been boosted with the additions to their squad of centre-back Tony Brown, midfielders Jason King and Barry Albone along with forwards John Turner and Michael Boyle.

Midfield duo Jamie Blackwell and Carl Foreman have both left Bearscroft Lane to join Huntingdon Town while striker James Hall has signed for St Ives Town.

Goddy continue their preparations for the new Ridgeons League First Division campaign tomorrow night (Tuesday) with a home fixture against a St Neots Town XI, before hosting Highmore on Saturday.

The St Neots friendly replaced the original fixture with Yaxley who, after being paired with Rovers in the FA Cup extra preliminary round on August 20, pulled out.

Other planned fixtures against Takeley on July 16 was cancelled because of poor weather and then Raunds on July 19 was also cancelled due to Rovers’ pitch not being ready for action.

Rovers’ first league fixture is at home against Debenham LC on Saturday, August 13.

Down the road at Huntingdon Town, manager Ricky Marheineke will name his 18-man first team squad after Saturday’s home friendly with Irchester.

New signing Ricky Dear was on the scoresheet during Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with March Town and followed on from 1-0 defeats against Brampton and Yaxley respectively in earlier friendlies.

Tomorrow night, they are scheduled to visit Peterborough Sports and also go to Stewarts & Lloyds Corby on August 2, before rounding off their pre-season campaign with a home game against CRC on August 6.

Along with Goddy pair Blackwell and Foreman and central midfielder Dear – who has joined from St Ives – goalkeeper Dave Beeny has re-signed while winger Joe Jordan has also joined the club.

The only player from last season’s to have departed so far is forward Simon Issac, who has gone to university.

Huntingdon’s first United Counties League Division One fixture is at Rothwell Corinthians on August 13.

Meanwhile, St Ives Town go into Wednesday’s friendly with a Cambridge United XI at Westwood Road boosted by a few more additions to their squad.

Striker Grant Robbins has joined the Saints from Ely City, as well as midfielder John Gull, who returns to St Ives from Newmarket Town.

Also joining are left-back Jamie Alsop from King’s Lynn and centre-back Morgan Phillips, who was on loan at the club last season from Rushden & Diamonds.

Robbins, alongside James Hall, were on the scoresheet for their new side in a 2-0 home win over Cambridge University Press last Wednesday.

St Ives are also in action on Thursday night at Burton Park Wanderers and then, on Saturday, they visit Chatteris Town.

Saints’ first UCL Premier Division fixture is against Long Buckby on August 13.