Formerly with Ossett Town, Harrogate Railway, Salford City and Curzon Ashton, Hardy will be a familiar face to Eccleshill fans, having had several spells with the club with his most recent coming just last season, where he played a vital role in the club`s promotion.

Hardy's goal contributions were crucial to the team`s success during the first half of the season and now he is set to make a comeback to once again play a part in Eccleshill's season.

Speaking to the club website, Hardy revealed why he had to stop playing halfway through last season and why he has now returned to the Eagles: "I was struggling with my groin last season leading up to Christmas to the point where I was trying to avoid kicking the ball in warm-ups and avoided taking corners etc. I was still able to run so increased the amount of running I was doing weekly to try to stay fit but then I got tendinitis in my Achilles which pretty much took me out for the second half of the season. I was always planning on returning and kept in touch with the lads and Sean and worked hard with my physio to get fit for this season."

Despite the fact he didn't play during the second half of the season, there is no doubt his excellent goal tally was a big influence in Eccleshill's promotion, and Hardy was ever present in the crowd cheering the squad on during his injury.

Speaking of Eccleshill's promotion Hardy stated: "I was immensely proud of the team for winning promotion. The NCEL is a tough division with some teams like Yorkshire Amateurs investing a lot of money. Last season also saw some horrific conditions and I think we went about eight weeks without playing due to frozen or waterlogged pitches and the snow.

"The lads showed some great character towards the end of the season missing out on automatic promotion then coming from behind in the play-offs. The final was probably one of the craziest games I've ever seen with Mathers having his cheekbone broken and Scotty with a horrific leg break. For the boys to see that and come back to win was unbelievable. All the lads were class but Coops deserves a shout out for keeping cool under the pressure of that last-minute penalty."

Young goalkeeper James Beck, who last played for Eccleshill during the 2015/16 season, has also returned to the club ahead of the new campaign.

With manager Sean Regan looking to add even more depth and quality to the team, Beck returns to provide strong competition to Dom Smith for the Eagles' number one shirt.

During his first spell with the club Beck impressed with some incredible performances that saw him earn a man of the match award against Selby Town and the future looked bright for him until a serious injury cut his time with the team short.

After a lengthy spell out of the game rehabilitating, Beck has now returned to the Eagles and is ready to make his mark in the NCEL Premier Division.