Football: Brice and White sign for Almondsbury Town (From Gazette Series)

Almondsbury Town sign Joe White, Scott Brice, Matt Beadle, Marvin Brown, Ben Wiltshire and Stuart Nelson

9:00am Thursday 29th July 2010 in Sport

ALMONDSBURY TOWN have signed ex-Yate Town captain Scott Brice and striker Joe White.

They join trial duo Matt Beadle and former Bristol City striker Marvin Brown in joining the Southern League new boys, while defender Ben Wiltshire and Stuart Nelson have made the switch from Hallen and Yate Town Reserves respectively.

Ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol Rovers winger Mark McKeever is close to signing for the Almonds and is set to play in their friendly at Bristol Manor Farm tonight.

Brice won the Players’ Player and Supporters’ Player of the Year Awards when Yate were relegated from the Southern League Premier Division in the 2008/09 season before buying out his contract and joining Blue Square South side Weymouth.

White was released by Bristol Rovers in the summer and had trial spells at Swindon Town and Bath City, for whom he scored twice in a pre-season friendly against Almondsbury.

Boss Richard Thompson, who took White to Yate for the first of his two loan spells at Lodge Road in the 2008/09 season, said: "He has always been keen to come and play for me and we are happy to have him on board.

"He’s a young player, hard working, and he can only learn off Marvin so it’s not a bad combination to go with what we’ve already got."

Brown has played in the Football League for Bristol City and Cheltenham Town, and was at Truro City last season.

Midfielder Beadle - son of Bristol City and Rovers legend Peter - also played under Thompson at Yate before joining Bridgwater Town last season.

Versatile defender Wiltshire has played for Weston-super-Mare, while right back Nelson has had Southern League experience with Taunton and briefly at Yate, where he came on as an emergency goalkeeper following an injury to Josh Dempsey against Bishop’s Cleeve last season.

Almondsbury have lost Sahr Kabba, Lee Bridson and Chris Williams but Thompson is pleased with the squad now at his disposal.

He said: "At the last minute we lost three or four players but the ones who have come along have made a play for us as much as we’ve made a play for them.

"It’s refreshing that these players want to play for us.

"There is now plenty of competition for places and the squad is well balanced."

Winger Ross Stearn, 19, has also opted to stay after interest from Weston-super-Mare.

Thompson said: "Ross has committed his future to us which I’m really pleased about."

Almondsbury are away to Cheltenham Saracens on Saturday and Axa on Tuesday.