CAMELFORD boss Bobby Hopkinson admits he is ‘buzzing’ after re-signing striker Kyle Flew from neighbours Wadebridge Town.

Flew was at Trefrew Park as a youngster, but after several seasons at Bodieve Park has moved to the Camels where he will be joined by Matt Lloyd.

Lloyd, a targetman as a player, was an assistant coach at Wadebridge last season and will fulfil the same role with Hopkinson after Dan Balsdon stepped down due to spend more time with his family.

Another departure is that of last year’s top goalscorer Ryan Downing to Southern League Division One South side Bideford.

Hopkinson said: “We’ve signed Kyle to replace Ryan and I’m really excited to work with him. When I was a player here I kept telling Reg (Hambly) that I wanted us to get Kyle and Lloydy in, but now it’s happened and I’m buzzing.

“They’re two people who have done really well at Wadebridge over the last few years, and hopefully they’ll help us take the next step.

“I’d also like to say a big thank you to Dan for all of his help last season, he’ll be a real miss.”

On Downing’s departure, Hopkinson continued: “We’ve lost Ryan which was kind of inevitable with the player he is and the season he had.

“I always told him I’d never stand in his way if the right club came in, and he’s gone to Bideford who are two leagues above us to challenge himself. But, he’ll still be signed on for us, so he’ll play for us as and when.

“Another player we’ve lost is Cam Bidgood to St Austell, which is a bit of a blow. He’s a player who’d have got a lot of minutes for us this year, and what he did against Mousehole last year in the Senior Cup was really special. But with Cam having a job in Falmouth and not being able to train regularly, it makes sense to play closer to home.”

Hopkinson had the unenviable task of replacing Hambly last summer after more than 31 years in the role, however he, and the squad, stepped up superbly as they finished fifth in the South West Peninsula League Premier West division as well as reaching the Cornwall Senior Cup final for just a second time, losing 3-0 to Penzance at St Blazey.

On last season, Hopkinson enthused: “I felt we matched and even exceeded everyone’s expectations. I wanted us to be in top five and have a decent cup run in whichever competition that may be, and we did that. We had some special games and created some special moments for the club.

“But we’ve also set the bar now. It won’t be easy with clubs like St Austell, Mousehole and Helston back in the league, particularly with who St Austell have brought in, but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be pushing for the top two or three.”

The Camels also got their pre-season preparations underway last week. Despite missing several regulars, they drew 1-1 at home to Western League side Tavistock on Saturday with Kenley Dyson on target, that less than 48 hours after losing 4-1 to visiting Saltash United.

The rest of their pre-season is as follows: Thursday, July 9: St Blazey (H); Wednesday, July 15: Torpoint Athletic (A); Tuesday, July 21: Bodmin Town (H); Friday, July 31: Nanpean Rovers (H).