It’s been a busy summer so far – Ettridge

Ettridge took over from Sammy Donnelly in May and has been on the player recruitment drive ever since.

In what has proved to be a difficult few weeks, Ettridge soon discovered that none of last season’s squad were remaining with the club.

With that in mind, Ettridge has been busy over the past few weeks shaping his squad for the upcoming campaign.

He has been pleased with the recruitment so far and has managed to sign 19 players.

He has a few more in the pipeline but knows it will take a while for his new-look side to gel.

Ettridge said: “After coming in and finding out I had no players, it was tricky.

“The past few weeks have been very stressful but things are looking a lot better now.

“When players first come back for pre-season, they train with a few teams and you have to persuade them that your club is right.

“Fortunately, the signings have come in now and we have a squad available.”

EP kicked off pre-season with a 4-0 defeat against Fareham, before a 2-1 loss to Horndean.

Ettridge added: “It’s difficult with a new team but we played some good football in both matches.”

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