John Ward spoke to us as the squad settled down for a tough week of training up in Scotland.

He told us: "Both of our new signings played in the game on Friday, and that's always a good way for players who have just arrived to settle in. It's always the same at a new club, once you have that first game under your belt you naturally start to feel a bit more comfortable with things. Josh Gowling and Ben Williams have been terrific since they joined us, and it was good for them to get 45 minutes under their belt. They also seem to have enjoyed the training sessions, and they have fitted in there, and they have confirmed to us that they are two very good lads. The squad is a good group to work with anyway, and they certainly do their bit to make it easier for new players to settle, so there's been no problem there."

"We also gave Dan Wordsworth 45 minutes on Friday," he added, "and that was his first outing as a professional. He's the same age as Gary Madine, but it's important for these young lads to get in there and prove themselves. They have as much chance as anyone else in the first team squad of staking a claim, so it's up to them to compete with the other players in their respective positions. We have also brought young Connor Tinnion to Scotland with us, as you know, and we'll see how he copes when we step him up. Having young players come through means that the football club is moving on, and it also offers great encouragement to the other Youth players that we have. It shows them that opportunities will come, as long as they are prepared to put the work in themselves."

"We're still working at bringing new players in," he admitted. "I won't go in to detail, because that isn't the right way to do things. We are trying very hard to get some new faces in, and I know some people may say that's my stock answer, but it happens to be very true. Hopefully we'll get some movement on that soon."