Holdsworth has faith in Church

8:30am Saturday 26th July 2008

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NEWPORT County boss Dean Holdsworth will make young trialist Anthony Church his final signing of the summer, ahead of today’s trip to Penydarren Park to face old rivals Merthyr Tydfil (kick-off 3pm).

Holdsworth put the finishing touches to his revamped forward line on Thursday, snapping up striker Robert Duffy from Oxford United on a free transfer.

That appeared to signal the completion of the new look Exiles, however, the ex-Redbridge manager has revealed he will find room for Church is his squad after the 20-year old impressed in pre-season training.

He will compete for a first team spot with fellow defensive midfielders Nathan Davies and Adie Harris.

However, Church’s imminent signing is bad news for fellow trialist Leon Fisher, as Holdsworth doesn’t have the budget to sign both players.

The former Wimbledon striker – who will face his old club in his first competitive game as County boss – revealed he is happy and content with his squad for the new campaign.

He explained: “The double-signing of (strikers) Paul Hall and Robert Duffy boosts us significantly ahead of the new season.

“We now have four senior strikers (also Craig Hughes and Phil Walsh) and three of the four of them can play in other positions as well.

“In every position, from goalkeeper to upfront, we now have players pushing one another for a first team spot.

“It is imperative to have cover and quality in depth and we feel confident we have achieved that, while also reducing the budget from last season.

“Pre-season has gone well so far and we hope to continue that at Merthyr, which will be a tough test for us.”

Right-back Kevin Stephens is a doubt for this afternoon’s clash as he is recovering from illness, while Kris Leek – still involved at Newport – is hampered by a broken hand.

Midfielder Danny Wring has played twice in a week on trial at the Exiles, but he is unlikely to feature again with the boss unable to offer him terms for the new campaign.

Holdsworth believes the signings of Duffy – the older brother of Wales international Richard – and Church have added an extra dimension for Newport.

“To get those two in, relatively late in the day, rounds things off for us,” Holdsworth said.

“Duffy has scored goals at a higher level, just like Paul Hall, and the two of them can make a real difference for us.

“To get a player of Duffy’s calibre to come here is significant for the club and we’re delighted.”

County: James, Thompson, Blackburn, Jenkins, Stephens, Skelton, Hillier, Giles, Keddle, Collins, Cooper, Hartridge, Evans, Davies, Harris, Church, Rose, Leek, Hughes, Hall, Walsh, Duffy