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Four Added to Bluebirds Squad

Vanarama National League South club Chippenham Town have announced the arrival of four new players.

Wednesday 24 May 23 I 09:45:38	I	Photo by

Twenty-five-year-old midfielder Jake Evans moves to Hardenhuish Park from now-Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South side Hungerford Town. He had joined the Crusaders in December 2020 after being released by SkyBet Championship side Cardiff City and following a loan spell with another National League South outfit, Hemel Hempstead Town. He was a regular in Cardiff’s under-23s at the back end of the 2019/20 season. Originally with Swindon Town, he had loan spells with Irish side Waterford whilst on their books. Also joining up with the Bluebirds squad for the 2023/24 season is another local lad in Tyreke Johnson. Johnson grew up in nearby Trowbridge and spent his youth career with Watford, then with Swindon Town. It was from here that he caught the attention of one of the best youth academies in world football, Southampton. Johnson then did something that not a lot of players get to do, he impressed so much he was given a contract by the Saints and made his professional debut in the Premier League, coming on in a 3-2 victory against Arsenal in 2018. He followed his departure from Southampton with spells in the USA and the EFL with Gillingham but ultimately, a shoulder injury derailed his time in the States and after 6 starts for the Gills was allowed to join Woking in the National League where he played some 50-plus games for the Cards. He went out on loan at the end of last season and played a pivotal role in Chelmsford City’s successful campaign, culminating in a defeat in the play-offs. At 24 years old, Johnson was another in high demand with his departure from Woking and manager Gary Horgan had to move quickly to secure his man. Returning to the Bluebirds is former fans` favourite, Luke Haines (pictured). Chippenham were first introduced to Haines in 2019 when the then Swindon Town youngster came in on loan to the Bluebirds and instantly found himself a fans` favourite with his cheeky grin, his dedication to the team and his willingness to win every battle in front of him. He has an eye for goal as well, finding the net on 3 occasions for the Bluebirds against Dulwich Hamlet, Maidstone United and who could ever forget his rocket at Arbour Park where Chippenham dispatched Slough Town on the way to the First Round of the Emirates FA Cup. Upon his departure from Swindon, Haines joined Hereford FC, who were rising through the leagues again with a huge stadium and a massive fan base, He once again made himself a huge favourite with the Bulls and was an ever-present for all the big events at Hereford in the last couple of seasons with a trip to Wembley in the FA Trophy final, a televised First Round game against Portsmouth in the FA Cup and two mid-table finishes in the National League North. Haines made it very clear his intention to come back to Chippenham after his time at Hereford came to an end. Another really exciting signing for Chippenham in the 2023/24 season sees the return of one of the most exciting players the club has had on loan in recent times, this time, Tom Owen-Evans. Owen-Evans will need no introduction to Bluebirds fans having spent some time on loan here in 2019/20 and scoring some really important goals for the Town in his time here. He became a fast and firm favourite with both his team-mates and his fans especially smashing one past Ryan Clarke in the Bath City net in the A4 Derby! Owen-Evans started with Newport County as a youngster and made 52 appearances for the County. A couple of loan moves to Gloucester City and Truro City followed before he took his chances north of the border at Falkirk but his time there was brief. It was at Hereford that he really made a name for himself, becoming a huge favourite at the club with his goals and assists critical over the 104 games he played for the club, notching 31 goals and countless contributions in his time with the Bulls. In one of the most surprising moves to the Bulls fans, Owen-Evans was allowed to come to Chippenham for the latter stages of the 2019/20 season after falling out of favour at Edgar Street. A return to Hereford saw Owen-Evans and his now Chippenham team-mate Luke Haines make it all the way to Wembley Stadium where in the 13th minute, Owen-Evans opened the scoring for Hereford, making him a Wembley goalscorer to add to his personal list of accolades. Sadly for Owen-Evans and Haines it wasn’t to be and they ran out on the wrong side of a 3-1 scoreline against Hornchurch. Owen-Evans made the move to Kidderminster Harriers and was part of the squad that have now achieved promotion to the National League via the play-offs.

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