CIRENCESTER TOWN manager Brian Hughes clearly does not bear a grudge as he has signed the striker who helped dump his side out of the FA Cup.

Mark Draycott has moved to Cirencester for his second spell at the club and will be in the squad for the visit of struggling Tiverton Town on Saturday.

Draycott, 25, is cup-tied and therefore unavailable for Tuesdays night’s FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round replay at Grays Athletic, who forced a 2-2 draw at the Corinium Stadium on Saturday.

He scored a penalty in Didcot’s 3-2 FA Cup replay win over Ciren in September.

"I have a centre forward (Jody Bevan) who is top of our goal scoring charts but my second and third top scorers are a centre back and a right back, so I felt I had to try something different," said Hughes.

The boss’s striking options were further limited by the hamstring injury picked up by the promising Rob Hoskin on Saturday which rules him out for at least a fortnight.

The much travelled Draycott has a number of claims to fame, not least snatching Wayne Rooney’s record for FA Youth Cup goals in a season when he netted 11 in the 2002/3 campaign as a Swindon Town trainee, including seven in the 9-2 drubbing of Chelmsford City.

He also once scored six in a single game - a hat-trick in each half - for Swindon Supermarine in the 6-3 away victory over Hanwell Town in the Southern League Division One South and West.

Draycott has also played for Portland Timbers, Wilmington Hammerheads and Ventura County Fusion in the States, as well as Sunshine George Cross in Australia.

Wherever the now Swindon-based centre forward has gone, goals have followed.

He signed for Cirencester in September 2007 but lasted just two games under Adi Viveash before rejoining Supermarine for his third spell at the club and subsequently scoring 17 goals in 40 games.

Last season, his first with Didcot Town, he netted 16 goals.

In the revolving door world of non league football, Draycott has lost his place in the Didcot side to new signing Scott Griffin from Cirencester, but he will team up with former Railwaymen James Mortimer-Jones and Matt Jack in the current Town squad.

"Mark just wants to score goals and being a left-footer he gives us a bit of balance," said Hughes.

"I wanted to bring him to the club in my first spell here as manager.

"He trained with us last Thursday and before Saturday’s game and, though he is cup-tied for Grays, he is available for next weekend’s match with Tiverton."