EBBW Vale coach Gareth Nicholas promises his side will be "very competitive" in the new Welsh Premier Division this season.

Vale have been late starters in the squad-building stakes with some outsiders suggesting they might struggle to raise a side.

But Nicholas refutes this and says there was an excellent turn out at training this week with around 18 players signed and another ten to complete his line-up.

"Things had been a bit slow as I had been in South Africa for two weeks (on Wales duty)," said Nicholas, "and some players had been training and then not turning up.

"Unless they have signed, people don't feel the need to turn up and train, but that's not a professional attitude and tells me a lot about them.

"I am determined the people we will have will be players who want to play for Ebbw Vale and we are getting there.

"The return of regional development contract players Rhys Williams and Keiron Crawford to training this week has give us a boost."

Nicholas is hoping to sign most of his players in the 21 to 25 age bracket as he wants to go down the development route.

"I'll be happy to sign a forty-year-old if he can do a job and help develop the young players," said Nicholas."

"Teams like Ebbw Vale have to nurture the talent in their areas and that will be my aim, to make the most of the talent in Blaenau Gwent

"I intend to go down the development route and hopefully will be providing good coaching with the aim of pushing players towards the regional side."

Scrum half Gareth Betts, recovered from a broken leg, will partner Byron Hayward at half back this season.

And the club have signed promising props Ian Jones and Chris Kinsey from Tredegar and Blackwood respectively.

An interesting possible signing is Wales Under-19s open-side flanker Michael Scudamore, the son of former champion National Hunt jockey Peter Scudamore.