CLAPTON co-manager Jim Hendry signalled wholesale changes at the Old Spotted Dog this summer, writes Ross Davies.

Hendry admitted that two-thirds of the squad' will leave in the summer, with ten to 12 new players coming the other way.

The 45-year-old said: "Out of the current squad of 15 we're looking to retain about five, and those players have been informed.

"The current squad just isn't good enough to play at this level.

"I had a lot of players dumped on me that were no more than Sunday league standard."

The club, which finished bottom of the Ryman League Division Two last year, are looking to secure financial arrangements to help boost their funding for players next season.

Hendry added: "We're hoping to pull off one or two deals to get some finances into the club.

"We have targeted and spoken to some players we're looking to bring in but we are also holding open trials for players who think they can match the standard this club expects in the coming weeks."

The Tons, who were docked five points last season for fielding an ineligible player, struggled to put out sides during various stages of the campaign, with Hendry himself coming on to make up the numbers on one occasion.

He said: "I was incredibly frustrated last season. We had a lot of injuries and the squad was so small that some weeks we had up to ten youth players in the first 11."

The team begin pre-season training in two weeks, with several trial matches also on the Clapton agenda.