Wednesday 3rd July 2019
Pre-season training has only been underway for a week, but Royal Wootton Bassett Town manager Sam Collier has already strengthened his squad with six players having committed for the 2019-20 Hellenic League Premier Division campaign.
Headlining that list of signings is forward Brad Pagliaroli, who has turned down advances from Southern League teams to remain at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground. Last season Pagliaroli's eighteen goals earned him both the Players' and Supporters' Player of the Year awards.
He will be joined in attack by pacy frontman Danny Langford, who has committed to Bassett for the season after spending last season as player-manager of Thames Valley League Premier Division champions Newbury. Langford, who counts league rivals Binfield among his former clubs, featured three times for Bassett in 2018-19 as well, including a man of the match performance in a 2-1 away victory against Longlevens.
Bassett will also be boosted in 2019-20 by the return of central midfielder Callum Wright to the club. The classy operator spent last season with Wantage Town, appearing 32 times and scoring twice – including against Bassett - as the Alfredians went on to win the Hellenic Premier and promotion to the Southern League. Wright has played for Bassett 82 times across five seasons, scoring four times. He was the second-leading appearance maker in 2017-18.
Also bolstering the midfielder ranks is youngster Alfie Presley. The talented winger joins from Chippenham Park, having made the step up to Western League football last season. In 2017-18 he was awarded Chippenham Town's Academy Player of the Year award.
Attention has been paid to strengthening Bassett's defence, which conceded 71 goals last season, too. To that end, full backs Zak Eadle and Tyron Leigh have put pen to paper.
Eadle joins from Abingdon United, who he featured for nineteen times in 2017-18, while he brings Southern League experience having previously played for both Banbury United and North Leigh. Leigh is a former Bristol City and Swindon Town youth. His first non-league experience came with Chippenham Town in 2013-14 and 2014-15 before spells with Wantage Town and Swindon Supermarine.
Last modified on Wednesday 3rd July 2019 at 09:25.
