Paddy Davitt King's Lynn boss Carl Heggs revealed yesterday he will register as a player for the promotion-chasing Unibond Premier club. Heggs made more than 200 Football League appearances during a ten-year career as a striker before spells in the Conference at Forest Green, Tamworth and Hinckley prior to moving into management.

Paddy Davitt

King's Lynn boss Carl Heggs revealed yesterday he will register as a player for the promotion-chasing Unibond Premier club.

Heggs made more than 200 Football League appearances during a ten-year career as a striker before spells in the Conference at Forest Green, Tamworth and Hinckley prior to moving into management.

The 38-year-old ex-Redditch assistant has already recruited nine new players - headlined by Tamworth's 23-goal hitman Gareth Sheldon - within a fortnight of being installed as Keith Webb's successor at The Walks.

Heggs plans to run the rule over six trialists during the club's pre-season campaign in addition to provisionally agreeing two loan deals with a Championship club for a centre half and left-sided attacking player.

But the former West Brom, Swansea and Northampton striker will be available in a back-up capacity within his slim line first team squad.

The ex-Baggies hotshot featured alongside assistant player/manager Andy Johnson in the recent televised indoor Midlands masters summer series - notching a winner in the Black Country derby against Wolves.

“I managed 25 games for Redditch last season and I could still do a job for us for the last 20 minutes in games,” said Heggs. “I'll register myself but I certainly won't be looking to play myself. We haven't got the money to go out and get a squad of 17 players. I'd rather have maybe 14 who can all do me a job than average players. To get someone like Gareth Sheldon in I had to push the boat out a little bit more but you'd rather do that to get a centre forward of his quality than someone else for less. I can't go out and offer players �800 a week - but 99% of the other managers are in the same boat.

“I've kept a bit back with the budget because we've got five or six trialists coming along during pre-season and hopefully two or three of those will pop up and prove themselves.”

Heggs has also recruited a scout to carry out detailed homework on Lynn's Unibond Premier rivals.

“I've organised myself a chief scout who will report on all the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition,” he said. “Whatever I get back from them is what we'll be working on during the week before games. If we get beat, then it won't be because we haven't prepared properly and given ourselves every chance.

“I have come here to be successful and I will do everything in my power to make that happen - which means getting a strong eleven with maybe three or four we can bring in from the reserves and the youth team. If we get injuries or whatever then I will cross that bridge and with the support of the club look to bring in what we need.”

Club officials announced yesterday Conference National side Kettering will visit The Walks in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday, July 14 (7.45pm) with three additional home fixtures planned alongside trips to Dereham (July 28), Brackley (August 4) and Halesowen (August 8).

Heggs' is confident he can mould a competitive team ready for the Unibond kick off on August 15.

“We're starting from scratch,” he said. “Now my job is to merge the younger, hungry lads who are desperate to succeed and push their careers forward with the more experienced players. The young lads have come here to King's Lynn because I have proved before I can get them up the non league pyramid.”

Read Mark Hearle's first behind-the-scenes club column ahead of the new season today only on edp24.co.uk/kingslynn