9:10am Friday 12th June 2009
By John Boyman
ASINGSTOKE Town manager Frank Gray is looking forward to welcoming Premier League Portsmouth to the Camrose for a pre-season friendly.
Last year’s FA Cup winners will be in town on July 25 and could field England internationals Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch and David James, giving football fans in the town something to look forward to.
“It will be good to get a Premier League club at the ground,” Gray said.
“It’s something that has not happened for a while and it will be nice to see some Premier League players around the place.
“I do not know who Portsmouth will bring for the game but they have a big enough squad so I am sure they will send a strong side.”
The game against Portsmouth is only Basingstoke’s second confirmed friendly but Gray is hopeful of lining up more matches against high-profile opposition.
“I am still waiting to hear from a couple of other league clubs,” he said.
“Reading are one we are talking to but we will have to wait and see because a new manager has just gone in there.”
Player-wise, Gray says no new signings are imminent, though he has a few irons in the fire.
“We are still talking to a few players but there is nothing definite at the moment,” he said.
“There are a lot of players out there and it is a question of getting the right ones.”
The only new signing at the club so far this summer is striker David Pratt, but Joe Dolan, Matt Warner, Rob Watkins, Tom Williamson and Phil Ruggles have penned new deals that will keep them at the Camrose next season. In addition, Lewis Christon and Sean Hankin have agreed to |re-sign, while Adam Aimable, Jide Ogunbote, Ryan Stephens and Ian Jones are expected to report for pre-season training.
Sam Tucknott, David Tarpey, Miles Mitchell-Coop and Sido Jombarti have all left, meaning that Ross Kitteridge and Jerome Maledon are the only members of last season’s squad whose futures at the club are unclear.
Gray would like both to be at the Camrose next season but goalkeeper Kitteridge would like to play higher up the league ladder, while midfielder Maledon remains in talks with another club.
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