Re-sign, re-sign, resigned

Following a slew of worthy but ultimately boring backroom announcements a library shot of a player in an unfamiliar shirt appeared on the homepage. Yes, a signing, at last. Unfamiliar shirt, familiar face because Phil Gilchrist is back. Gilly, named after my Granny's dog presumably, was one half of Gilly Elliot, not a teenage northern dancing sensation, but the best centre back pairing the club had seen since Briggs and Shotton.

Premiership appearances don't make you Premiership class but Gilly was a fine player who deservedly graduated from The Manor to the top flight with Leicester City and West Brom. He was a quick and tough centre-back, who complimented Elliot's class and panache. One might question why at only 32 he's slumming it in the Conference. One suspects injury (he seems to have a gammy shoulder) and wages played a big part; if he can stay fit, he'll be a hell of a signing.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, Barry Quinn, surely a player capable of securing a League contract, has signed on for another year. Quinn does a lot of the dirty work in midfield and for that he's underrated. We're now just a goalkeeper and striker from having that Holy Grail of any team, a great spine, at this rate it won't be pretty, but it'll be effective.

To finish it all off, the on-off transfer story of the summer was finally resolved when Tim Sills ascended back into the League when he signed, finally, for Hereford. That Gilchrist is playing in the Conference and Sills in the League shows how little I know about football.