CIRENCESTER TOWN look set to start the mouthwatering friendly against Partick Thistle next Wednesday night with a new look full back partnership in Luke Ballinger and Scott Bevan.

Both ex-Chippenham Town players joined in as pre-season training began in Cirencester on Tuesday evening.

In tandem with his non-league career, Ballinger holds the appearance and goalscoring record for the England futsal side and has been a captain for his country, while Bevan is a former starlet at Forest Green Rovers.

With manager Brian Hughes needing to rebuild a back four from scratch after the exits of Shayne Anson, Leigh Henry, Mark Pritchett and Ellis Dunton, former Centurion Ben Brown has returned from North Leigh to the Corinium Stadium in a bid to fight for one of the available centre back slots.

Hughes is also in advanced talks with two other centre halves.

Other signings include Slimbridge’s top scorer and Players’ Player last season Paul Fahy and former Hereford keeper Harvey Rivers. Both Rivers and Ross Langworthy missed training on Tuesday as they are away on holiday.

Other players bidding to catch the eye of Hughes and his coaching team were the former highly rated Shortwood captain James Coates, now back from long term injury, Wantage Town striker Aaron Ferris, Alex Dinsmore who played on loan for Cirencester Town at the end of last season and has now been released by Cheltenham Town, as well as James Fowke, now back in the UK after playing in the States.

Zack Kotwica who is undergoing trials with a number of clubs, is not expected to return to Cirencester, and Brad Hooper, though training at the Corinium on Tuesday, has been approached to join other clubs.

Josh Langley, who stepped up from the Development side in the second half of last season, is determined to fight for the goalkeeper’s jersey despite the arrival of Rivers.

Hughes, meanwhile, has called on his old mate and former assistant Kevin Willetts to act as his eyes and ears, watching games involving local rivals in the Southern Premier.

Scottish Premiership side Thistle also returned to training this week with a number of first-teamers like Callum Booth, Christie Elliott and skipper Abdul Osman coming back after surgery.

But they have had a further injury blow with the news that Mustapha Dumbuya will now be a long-term absentee after rupturing his Achilles tendon over the weekend.

The Jags move down to the University of Bath next week during which time they play both Cirencester and Bath City in pre-season friendlies.

They are due to play their opening competitive fixture away to Airdrie in the first round of the Betfred Cup on Friday, July 15. Cirencester’s season in the Southern Premier does not begin until Saturday, August 6.

Having lost their proposed friendly with Cinderford Town due to that side being confirmed as a fellow Southern Premier club, Cirencester have added a warm-up game at Malmesbury Vics on Saturday, July 30.