PORTLAND United manager Brendon King is happy with Portland’s new signing Sam Clarke, a player he knows well.

Clarke, a former Poole Town man, has played for King at Weymouth and Hamworthy United among other clubs and King praised his new signing.

King said: “It is a good signing, he has plenty of experience at this level and above and he will bring something else to the table for us. He is a player that I know well, he has played for me at a number of clubs.

“I know what he brings to the table.

“He has played for Portland before so he knows the set up there and he knows all of the lads so it was a no brainer really.

“He is a good proper defender, no nonsense.”

The club have been out talking to players and King says the majority of the squad from last season have signed for next season and that no one has expressed anything to him about leaving the club.

However, King admitted that a couple of the squad who were there last season, who he did not name, are “going to wait and see and we will go from there.”

The Blues start back on June, 26 for pre-season training at Redlands.

King said: “We are looking forward to it, it is going to be a tricky little period but we are confident that we will have a side that will be able to compete and on the whole we are all looking forward to it.

“We are confident that there will be a couple of new faces on board.

“The season starts in August so we have got the first few training sessions planned and then obviously the pre-season friendlies kick in and we will work on that.

“The majority of the squad have signed so at the moment no one has expressed anything to me about leaving.”

King joined as manager in May after Gary Bailey’s spell as interim-manager came to an end.

Speaking about taking the side on now, King said: “I am lucky because I know the majority of the squad and the majority of the people at the football club so it is not something that I am going into with my eyes closed at all.”

n Former Chickerell boss Steve Coward is to join Portland’s Reserve management team of Justin Faulkner and Steve Spearing, subject to league clearance.

In a statement on the Blues’ website, Faulkner said: “I’m delighted Steve has decided to come on board, he has good knowledge of local football and has been successful. I’m sure his experience will be a great help to the team as a whole”.

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