Over the last week or so, Manager Steve King has been busy meeting with the existing squad and bringing together his retained list for the 2025/2026 season. 

We are delighted that we have been able to retain virtually the whole squad from last season. As you would have seen from the announcements, we have only lost Archie Hatcher and Adam Molloy from the squad that finished last season.

 

Last season we stuck with the vast majority of the boys who got us promoted in the 2023/24 season and they didn’t let us down, as we achieved a 7th placed finish last season. They are a loyal group and all believe in what we are trying to do as a club. With these solid foundations in place we are looking forward to consolidating our place at Step 4 and trying to aim for an improvement on last year’s achievements. It is my belief that clubs who do well over a long period of time have stability and continuity in the squad and we have again achieved that by agreeing terms with so many of our players.

Kane Smith will continue to captain the club, with the support of Macca Murray as vice-captain.  It is remarkable that EIGHT of the retained players have played over 150 games for the club, including last season's multiple award winner Tom Chapman; which again has demonstrated the loyalty and togetherness of the current squad.

Amongst the senior players King has ensured that some of our younger players, who featured last season, are embedded as full-time members of the first team squad. Zak Hammond, Morgan Page and Owen Wilkinson will again be part of the first team after their impressive performances last season. Zak, Morgan and Owen will be joined by several other young players in pre-season as our development pathway continues to flourish.

We will also be welcoming Max Niblett back to the squad full-time, having completed his University studies. Max has featured sporadically for the last three seasons due to his education committments. The club will also be re-signing and supporting those players who are returning from long-term injury, as they go through their treatment and rehabilitation plans.

We are also delighted to welcome two new signings to the club, as well as James Tonkin.

Jack Palmby is a midfielder who has joined us from Bearsted. On Palmby's addition, King said:

He is a player who I have admired since working in youth football. He is comfortable on the ball and will add great energy into our midfield. He has already played a lot of senior football, despite being 22, and I have no doubt he will add great quality to the squad.

The second signing is Mefose Esumobi; a striker who has joined the Hoops from Corinthian.

Mefose a player that we have tracked all season, after he put in an impressive performance against us in a friendly back in July 2024. He is a tall and physical striker who will add a different dimension to our attacking play. He is only 19 and has great potential to continue to improve and we look forward to supporting him with his development.

 

We can’t wait to see you all in July when we start our friendlies. Enjoy your summer.

Our pre-season list will be announced shortly, so keep an eye on our website and on our social media platforms!

#COYH