Jamie Day is pleased with how his Braintree Town squad is looking ahead of the start of their first pre-season game at Heybridge Swifts on Saturday.

Day has had to rebuild the Iron squad since becoming manager, but the addition of two more players – a central defender and a wide midfielder – from Football League clubs this week has brought him closer to completing the line-up he wants.

While Day said he was unable to name either of the new players as they were still under contract at their former clubs for a few more weeks, he expected them and several other so-far unnamed new additions, to be available for the opening pre-season game at Swifts.

The centre-half he has brought in has added significant experience to an area where Day had identified that he required it.

He said: “The player has been in the (Football) League for the last ten years and is a big commanding centre-half, who has got the experience that I think we needed.

“He has been captain at some of the clubs where he’s been and I’m really pleased to get him on board as he adds more experience down our spine.

“There are a lot of young players who can learn so much from these experienced guys and I’m hoping to add more with the signing of a central midfielder.

“I’m looking for someone who is about 30 (years old) to add experience in that central area of the park.

“We have Harry Lee, who will be a great player, and Chez Isaac, who has been very consistent at this level, but I’d like to see more competition for places in the middle and if we can bring an older one in then that will add that for us.

“I did have someone in mind but he would only have been able to train one night a week and I don’t want to go down that route and so we had to pull out of a deal, but there are other options I’m looking at.”

Meanwhile, the winger that Day has added has also come in from a Football League club and the 20-year-old is someone who the Iron boss has tracked for some years.

“I played against him a few years back and he caught my eye then and I got to watch him last year while he was out on a loan spell,” he said.

“He can play in both wide areas as well as in the centre of midfield so he’s someone who can operate in several positions and he’s like some of the others with a point to prove.

“He’ll feel he was unlucky to be released from the club where he’s been and he’ll be hungry to get back.

“We have 14 or 15 signed on now either on contract or non-contract terms and there are three or four really good trialists who I like the look of and I want to now see them in a game to see what they are capable of doing.

“I’m really pleased with the look of the squad and I’m happy with the players we’ve been able to bring in.

“It’s all about getting momentum in pre-season now that we can take into the season, hopefully get a few early wins and settle everyone down.

“Some of our boys have a point to prove so I’m hoping we see that at the start of the season.”