Last updated at 11:50, Friday, 05 October 2012

Workington Town coach Gary Charlton is hoping that an internet advert placed with a company Down Under will bear fruit as he and fellow coach Martin Oglanby prepare for life in the Championship.

Martin Oglanby and Gary Charlton

The advert, asking for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Island players, has seen Town receive numerous replies, and Charlton explained: “We do it every year and Gary Roberts, who owns the site, is a good mate of my dad’s (former Town player and coach Paul who now lives in Australia).

“We’ve had more than 200 hits on it and plenty of players have sent us CVs but there’s a lot of sorting out to be done. We need players with British or European passports first and foremost, but it also comes down to finances as well.

“There are some very good players down there and hopefully we will pick up a key player. But there’s a lot of work to be done first.

“We almost signed Brad Hopkins. He’s a very good second-rower. He wanted to come to Workington but we signed a player nearer home and Brad went on to star for London Skolars.”

Town’s most recent stars from the Southern Hemisphere include Jarrad Stack, who is still at the club, Kiwi hooker Jonny Limmer and fellow Kiwi, full-back Lusi Sione. Town have superb players in the positions of the Kiwis in Brett Carter and Graeme Mattinson, both having signed new contracts with Town in the last week or so.

“We have a strong spine at nine [Mattinson], one [Carter] and six [Peter Lupton], and we have something very good to build around,” added Charlton.

First published at 11:29, Friday, 05 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk