Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper said his summer recruitment has been intended to add goals and creativity to his squad.
The Glovers get their National League Premier Division campaign underway with a home game against Hartlepool United on Saturday as they look to better their scoring record of 51 goals in 46 league matches last season.
In the past week, the manager added striker Junior Morias and trialist midfielder Luke McCormick to the permanent ranks and brought in young Birmingham City striker Ben Wodskou on a season-long loan deal.
They followed the arrivals of permanent signings defender Kyle Ferguson, winger James Daly and striker Tahvon Campbell and loanees defender Byron Pendleton and goalkeeper Jed Ward.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah on Thursday, Cooper said: “Because it was a protracted takeover which took some time (completing at the end of May), we did not know what we were doing until the middle of June which put us behind quite a long way so we had a late set-up in terms of recruitment, but we are there now and it has been a long summer.
“We spoke a lot about whether we scored enough goals or created enough chances (last season) compared to the year before and the answer was ‘probably not’, so we have tried to address that and stack the forward areas with players gives us the best chance and create more goals with the money we have available.”
Morias, 30, was the final addition announced on Tuesday following his release by League Two side at the end of last season. He arrives with a record of scoring 30 goals in 96 appearances at National League level and having played at League level with Peterborough United, Northampton Town and Notts County.
Last season he had two loan spells at this level at Dagenham & Redbridge (6 goals in 19 appearances) and Woking (2 goals in seven appearances).
Speaking about the striker, Cooper said: “We needed somebody with a decent goal-scoring record in the National League. He became available a couple of weeks ago, he has had some issues with his wife being pregnant, so he did not join (pre-season training) until this week. He has a history of scoring goals at the level and hopefully we can get him fit and give him those chances (to score), I am sure he will take plenty of them.”
Goalkeeper Ward, who has joined from League Two Bristol Rovers on a season long-loan, was brought in following the mutual decision to end Aidan Stone’s contract at Huish Park. The keeper, who joined in February, has subsequently signed for National League Premier Division newcomers Truro City.
Cooper said: “Aidan was a good professional and had been a good goalkeeper, but we felt we needed a fresh outlook on that, we needed someone who was going to make some saves and we had a chance to get Jed. Once we knew we had a chance, we had to go and do it. Pre-season is pre-season, it means nothing, but I have seen a general calmness to his play and his general demeanour and I think that is important for a goalkeeper. We will see how he goes at the start of the season, but I have been impressed so far.”
One of the new arrivals who has excited Glovers’ fans is former Birmingham Under-21s captain, Pendleton. The 18-year-old wing-back has impressed with his attacking player in the pre-season friendlies against Bristol Rovers and Weston-super-Mare.
The manager added: “When I spoke to the fans after the takeover, we said that our recruitment was going to be late and we wanted to use the money we had available to get as much quality in as we could and try and bulk the squad out with two or three loans. We had our eye on Byron and we were not convinced we would get him, I have a decent relationship with Birmingham and they asked if he could come down so we could have a look at him in one of the (pre-season friendly) games. So he came down and played really well (in the 2-1 defeat against Bristol Rovers) and we signed him as quick as we could on a season-long loan. He has got terrific pace, he is very good going forward, he is a young lad and he is going to make mistakes, but we just have to encourage him to get forward and get balls in the box which is his forte.”