Six summer signings at Diss Town as Ben Self, Kilean Bounden, Myron Abodunde, Luke Middleton, Harvey Norman and James Pegg unveiled

The newly-installed Diss Town management team have been boosted by six new arrivals as well as being able to retain five of last season’s squad for a crack at a promotion push in 2023/24.

Having utilised many of the new faces in their pre-season games so far, manager Garth Good and assistant Dan Goffin had been waiting for the Thurlow Nunn League registration forms to come out and be completed before announcing any signings.

And they have revealed to the Express six have put pen to paper with more to follow.

Kyle Baker, James Phillip, Curtis Hodges, James Sillett and Daegan Watts will be the familiar names to the club’s followers, having all finished the campaign in the Mark Sutcliffe and Matt Coote squad that was trained by then first-team coach Good.

Former Lowestoft Town Under-18s goalkeeper Ben Self is set to become the familiar face between the posts at Brewers Gree Lane having come across following playing 19 times for Waveney in the Step 7 Anglian Combination League Premier Division.

Kileon Bounden is a centre-back who joined UEA in 2020 while 25-year-old holding midfielder Myron Abodunde including Norwich City Academy, Dereham Toiwn, Wroxham and Fakenham Town among his former clubs, and is set to provide some strength in the midfield.

James Pegg, formerly with Mattishall, will provide options in midfield and full-back, the latter of which is the position former Debenham LC and Newmarket Town player Harvey Norman specialises in.

At the other end of the pitch, former Norwich United and Swaffham Town striker Luke Middleton is one of the players who already knew the new management team well and jumped at the chance to play for them in the First Division North.

Goffin said: “Obviously on our part we knew whenever you step into a new club there is going to be some movement.

“Regardless of that we were looking to bring players in that suited our style and our commitment levels, so we are delighted we have been able to secure the signing of some new players and also retain some of the ladsw from last year.

“There is some more to come in, we are hoping to get a few more over the line in the coming days, but of course in the meantime we are very happy with the direction the squad is heading in.”

Diss followed up a 3-2 opening pre-season win at Norwich CEYMS at the FDC with last Friday’s 2-1 defeat at higher-league Hadleigh United.

Hodges had put Diss into the lead with an equaliser coming before the break ahead of what proved to be the winner.

Good, who takes his side to face Easton tomorrow (2.30pm), said: “It was a very competitive game.

“In the second half I thought they controlled the game better than we did and they probably deserved to take the lead.

“In the last five to six minutes we had a coule of opportunties to maybe get an equaliser.”

Of their two opening pre-season fixtures, he said: “There was loads of positives from those games (Norwich CEYMS and Hadleigh) and we did not disgrace ourselves and it has built some confidence up.

“We were really pleased we showed that level of grit and determination in our performance levels.”

“There was lots to build on.”