NEW Cirencester Town manager Brian Hughes has not finished shuffling his pack.

Hughes released both centre half Kes Metitiri and left back Ben Pugh last week while bringing in Paul Casey and Shaun Wimble – and they will not be the last of his changes.

“I could not just accept losing matches, so we had to try something different,” said Hughes.

“The budget had been used up so I had to let some players go to get others in.

“Kes is a lovely lad but he was on very good wages and I felt I could spend that money more wisely.”

Casey was one of seven senior Hartpury College players (last season’s first team regulars Lee Molyneaux and Matt Shaxton were two of the others) who was selected for the English Universities squad last season.

Wimble played for Town during Hughes’s previous managerial spell at the club. He started his career as a youngster at Swindon Town and has also been on the books at Fulham, Woking, Yeovil, Oxford City and Witney.

He returned to England in the summer after holding a coaching post in Canada and is now Steve Lowndes’s assistant at the Cirencester Academy Hughes faces a selection dilemma on Tuesday night when his side meet Thatcham Town at the Corinium in the BGB League as he will be missing at least one of his first-choice defenders.

“Andy Minturn has work commitments in Germany and cannot play,” said Hughes. “And Lee Spalding was sore after the Cinderford game and could be a doubt.

“I am close to signing another centre half, but Saturday is the earliest he could play.

“I am also chasing a midfielder, although that is proving harder to tie up than I hoped.”

Cirencester will now visit Malvern Town on Saturday to play the GX Cup game previously scheduled for October 28. As both teams have been knocked out of the FA Carlsberg Trophy, the next stage of which takes place on Saturday, they have brought forward their GX Cup tie rather than face a blank afternoon.

Cirencester’s Academy side take on recent Football League side Torquay United in the third qualifying round of the FA Youth Cup at home on Wednesday, October 22. The game kicks off at 7.45.