The Kidderminster Harriers manager, Mark Yates, didn't waste any time after coming back off holiday during last week and started off by getting Andy Ferrell to finally put the pen to his new contract.  The affable Geordie had been offered the one year contract before Yates went away and it was just a formality, but an important one, to sign the document.

Better news was to come soon after when the return of Luke Jones was announced by the club.  Luke was with us towards the end of last season on loan from Shrewsbury but was called back at short notice just before a game at Stevenage.

The promising defender was released by Town once their season was over after playing only a handful of games on his return to them.  Like Ferrell he has also signed for a one year contract although many fans, including myself, think that a two year deal would have made more sense.

Even better news then came along less than thirty minutes later with the news that Darryl Knights was also returning to Aggborough.  Like Jones he too was on loan to us, this time from Yeovil, but he managed to stay until the end of the season to turn in some great performances.

It was the quality of these performances that led to the belief amongst fans that he was too good for us and would be looking at joining a side further up the footballing ladder.  Thankfully he chose to sign for us over other interested sides such as Cambridge Utd.

The final transfer move of the day came with the stupendously exciting news that we had signed a new keeper and not just any old keeper.  Yates had managed to pull off a major coup by snatching the England C team keeper, Adam Bartlett, from under the noses of Oxford Utd and Torquay Utd.

The twenty two year old, once on the books of Newcastle Utd, has joined the Harriers on a free transfer from Blue Square North side Blyth Spartans after being with them for the past three years.  He also joins the Harriers on an initial one year contract and it will also mean that he will have to give up his goalkeeper coaching job at St James Park.

With the signing of the new keeper it will probably mean that Dean Coleman will once again become second choice now that Chris Mackenzie has been officially released.  It appears that although the fact that Macca was not staying was widely known he was being asked to stay around just in case we had failed to bring a new keeper in.

All we need now is for Iyseden Christie and Simon Russell to sign their respective contracts and then for another batch of new signings to arrive shortly.    New left back anyone?