NOW satisfied with his attacking options, Warrington Town manager Paul Carden has turned his attention to recruiting at the other end of the field.

Midfielder Ben Garrity and strikers Richard Brodie and Josh Amis became the club’s latest additions when they signed on the dotted line yesterday, Wednesday.

Jamie McDonald – last season’s 17-goal top scorer – has also agreed to stay at Cantilever Park alongside regular strike-partner Tony Gray.

Warrington Town sign trio as top scorer stays put

With his forward line now well-stocked, Carden says his next priority has to be bolstering his defensive options, particularly with the news that skipper Jay McCarten requires an operation on the ankle injury that ended his season in January.

“Centre-half is definitely a priority for us now,” he told the Guardian.

“We are scouring around in that area of the pitch. We’ve had a few offered to us but they were not the right type of player.

“I have made offers to a couple as well but they have decided to stay in the league above, which I get.

“It looks as though Jay needs a bit of a tidy-up around his ankle as well, so that puts a bit more emphasis on it.

“With Liam Goulding and Jack Higgins going as well, we need numbers in defence and that is what we’re looking at now.”

The arrivals of Garrity, Brodie and Amis take the number of new additions at Cantilever Park to five, following the earlier signings of winger Lewis Nightingale and defender Alex Honeyball.

The vastly-experienced Brodie, who enjoyed prolific spells at Conference level with York City and Crawley Town, joins from Rushall Olympic while Amis, 23, arrives having spent the back end of last season with Northern Premier League rivals Marine.

Carden says their new forwards will offer “something different” and that the need to strengthen their attack was evident last year.

He also said getting McDonald to stay at the club was one of his biggest priorities for the summer.

“When Tony Gray and Jamie McDonald were missing, we did look light up front,” he said.

“Brodes and Josh are both target men, but they are different kinds of target men.

“They are both powerful strikers who know the level and know where the goal is. They will give us something different.

“Jamie was one of the lads I spoke to first about staying.

“With the interest in him mid-season last year, it sort of knocked him out of shape a bit.

“Hopefully now we will see the best of him.”