Angell delight as FA Vase winner is one of three new Thatcham signings

Thatcham Town boss Yashwa Romeo announced a trio of new signings this week.

The Kingfishers, who haven't been in Isthmian League South Central action for a month, confirmed deals for frontman David Nyarko and defenders Curtis Angell and Kyle Daniel-Spray.

Nyarko, who enjoyed a prolific spell with Thatcham while on loan from Reading’s under-18s last October, returns for a second – permanent – stint under Romeo, who has been concerned that his side’s problems in front of goal have carried over from last term.

Following his release by the Royals, Nyarko – who scored six goals in five games for the Kingfishers last season – endured a fairly fruitless spell at Harrow Borough, but Romeo is confident the Ghanaian attacker is set to rediscover his goalscoring form upon his return to West Berkshire.

“I’m over the moon to have him back,” he said.

“I’ve been monitoring him since he got released by Reading, and I’ve been speaking to him here and there because we’ve always wanted to bring him back.

“We want him to come back here and re-ignite that form that we saw last year and make a name for himself.

“For him to go and get what he wants out of football, he needs to be scoring goals and we’re hoping we can help him do that.

“He was brilliant when he was here last. He’s given us a lift around the place, the players can see his quality in training.

“He’s just a good all-round footballer. The ball sticks to him, he knows where the back of the net is and he can bring people into play.

“We’ve struggled a bit for goals, but we think he’s going to come in and solve that problem for us.”

At the other end of the pitch, Romeo has welcomed versatile defender Curtis Angell, who won the FA Vase with Thatcham in 2018, back to the club.

The seasoned campaigner, who can operate at full-back or centre-half, followed Hungerford Town boss Danny Robinson to Bulpit Lane when he swapped the Kingfishers for the Crusaders, and became a fan favourite at their West Berkshire rivals.

With Angell having fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Ramarni Medford-Smith, another former Thatcham man, the 32-year-old opted to return to his former club in search of regular first team football.

And Romeo, who played alongside Angell in his first spell at Thatcham, expects the experienced defender to add versatility to his squad, strengthening his options across the back line.

He said: “Curtis brings a wealth of experience, he’s been playing in the National League South for the last few years.

“I played with him, so I know exactly what he’ll bring to the dressing room.

“We are a young side, so his experience is going to be absolutely key for us.

“He’s also a winner, and we need that winning mentality in the changing room, someone to demand high levels from the rest of the squad.

“He’s going to be a great signing on and off the pitch.”

While Angell has tended to operate as a left-back over the last few seasons at Hungerford, Romeo expects to use him in a number of different positions, with his ability to play as a left-sided centre-half also allowing him to change shape to a back three if required.

And it looks more like Angell will operate as a central defender, with Romeo having swooped to sign left-back Kyle Daniel-Spray in a further boost to his defensive options.

Another Reading alumni, the left-back played 18 times and scored twice in the under-18 Premier League and has been signed to replace vice-captain Cameron Rohart-Brown, who departed to join Badshot Lea earlier this month.

Romeo expects the attack-minded full-back to match Rohart-Brown’s dynamism, having been alerted to the talented defender’s availability by a friend.

“It all happened really quickly,” he said.

“A friend of mine told me he was looking for a club and he came over and played in a friendly against Thame and he was really, really good.

“He’s good on the ball, committed in the tackle and very willing. He adds that little bit of quality we’ve been missing as well.

“I think it’s more likely he’ll play left-back and we’ll make use of Curtis’ versatility.”

Thatcham, who haven’t been in competitive action since a penalty shootout defeat to Bristol Manor Farm in the FA Trophy on September 9, have used their two-week breather to nurse a number of players back to fitness, including skipper Nathan Jones, forward Sam Tanner and right-back Tinashe Gwavava.

And Romeo has also used that time to experiment with a new shape, partnering new man Nyarko with Maidenhead-loanee Christian Johnson up front.

He said: “Only time will tell if it’s a good thing, but in terms of getting some lads back it’s definitely helped.

“We’ve had some time to work on our set up, we’re likely to go with two up front given that we’ve now got Christian and David at our disposal.

“In this day and age, defenders are not used to playing against two forwards so we’re looking forward to seeing what problems that can cause opposition.”

Thatcham, who are 12th, face a stern test on their return to league action this weekend.

The Kingfishers travel to second placed Leatherhead, who have 10 points from their opening four games, on Saturday.