Hinckley AFC manager Carl Abbott has provided an update for supporters on his summer squad retentions.
So far, 12 players have agreed to remain with the club, including double award winner James Williams, Supporters’ Player of the Year runner-up Lee Butler and FA Vase hat-trick hero Sam Agar.
He has also offered terms to a number of players involved in last season’s squad in the hope that more will agree to remain with the club.
However, Andy Westwood and Paul Sullivan have both left the club and opted to join recently relegated Walsall Wood, while Javia Roberts has stepped up to join Midland League Premier Division champions Alvechurch.
In summary
Players who have already agreed to remain with the club for 2017-18:
- Haydn Whitcombe
- Jack Hartopp
- James Williams
- Francino Francis
- Mitchell Tomlinson
- Kristian Ramsey-Dickson
- Lee Butler
- Darious Darkin
- JJ Melligan
- Sean Williams
- Isaac Cooper
- Sam Agar
Players who Carl Abbott hopes will remain at the club:
- Lee Thomas
- Ryan Paddock
- Jamal Clarke
- Mark Williams
- Chad Degville-Cross
- Ryan Seal
Players who have left the club:
- Andy Westwood
- Javia Roberts
- Paul Sullivan
Abbo’s reaction
On the goalkeeping front, both Haydn Whitcombe and Jack Hartopp have agreed to stay and Abbo said: “I feel both have bags of potential to develop further, and we won’t be actively seeking to add another goalkeeper to the squad at this time.
Abbo says both James Williams and Francino Francis will be key players next season, while also hoping Mitchell Tomlinson and Kristian Ramsey-Dickson will be fit in time to start pre-season training after seasons to forget through injury. He also provided an update on those members of the defence yet to sign.
“We’re waiting to discover the extent of Jamal Clarke’s knee injury. I hope he is able to rehab and return to playing with AFC. Lee Thomas has been offered the chance to have a pre-season at Stratford Town in the Southern League Premier, whilst Ryan Paddock will need to wait a little longer to to gauge compatibility with his new job role and locality of posting.”
A large part of AFC’s success this season was the ability to control games in the midfield, and Abbo hopes that will continue next year. “I’m over the moon that we retain the basis of a fantastic midfield, and with others hopefully deciding to remain together with new additions we will continue to be strong in this key area.
Going forward, captain Ryan Seal is understandably a wanted man after his 56-goal season, but Abbo is hopeful of retaining the club’s leading appearance maker and goalscorer. “We’ve offered him the best terms possible to make that happen and he’ll now be given the time to decide what is best moving forward.”
The club would like to thank the three departing players, Andy Westwood, Javia Roberts and Paul Sullivan, for their memorable contributions in a Hinckley shirt.
