Gray: Best is yet to come from Ruggles (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Gray: Best is yet to come from Ruggles

8:50am Tuesday 2nd June 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

BASINGSTOKE Town boss Frank Gray is backing striker Phil Ruggles to hit the back of the net even more next season for the Camrose outfit, after he signed a one year deal late last week.

Last season the forward was the club’s top goal scorer, netting 12 times from 34 appearances.

This was his first year at the club, for a player who started his career at Woking and also played for Hendon, Leatherhead, Worthing, Kingstonian, Molesey and Carshalton.

Talking about his latest signing, Gray said: “I feel Phil (Ruggles) is a player who will certainly improve and we have not seen the best from as last season was his first at this level.

Gray added: “I feel he is a good target man and a good finisher, but at times last season we failed to give him enough opportunities, that is something we will look to improve on this season.”

Ruggles will join a striking force which already includes Ryan Stephens and recent new boy David Pratt who joined from Chippenham Town.

New signing Pratt has admitted the lure of playing at a higher level was too great to turn down, despite Chippenham boss and former Basingstoke striker Adie Mings offering him a new deal.

Pratt said: “I talked to Adie Mings about it and he said I could go and talk to them, which I did, and spoke to their manager,” he said.

“I took a couple of days to decide but then chose to go for it.

“All it is for me is a chance to try and play at a higher level. It’s a step forward. I’m sad to leave Chippenham but for me as a footballer I had to take it.

“It’s nothing to do with money. It’s purely a chance to progress. If they hadn’t come in for me then I would have been happy to stay.”

The former Swindon Supermarine man was top goalscorer in each of his seasons at Hardenhuish Park and Chippenham boss Mings last week described his departure as a massive blow.