United have strengthened their squad with the signing of left back Anthony Tonkin from Cambridge United.
The experienced left back began his career at Yeovil where he made 95 starts before joining Stockport. A £150,000 fee took him to Crewe Alexandra for three years before a return to Yeovil. The last three years have seen him starring at Grays Athletic, Forest Green Rovers and Cambridge.
Chairman Kelvin Thomas was delighted with the new arrival:
"Since Stevie Kinniburgh suffered his injury we have only had one recognised left back in the squad so Anthony offers us great competition in that role, as well as a wealth of experience in this league and above."
Anthony's arrival is once again part funded by the 12th Man fund which has seen fans give financial support to the club at vital moments this season, and Kelvin was keen to praise their efforts:
"What makes the 12th Man scheme so great is situations like this. We knew we had to bring in a left back and if you want to bring the best players in the league in to the club then you have to spend money. We could not have brought a player of Anthony's calibre into the club without the 12th Man Fund paying for any fee.I see other clubs saying that we are 'awash with cash' but that's not true; we are simply utilising all the resources available to try and make this squad as strong as it can possibly be. People should never forget that football is our business and we have to invest wisely in the right areas to try to bring success."
Chris Davis, spokesman for the 12th Man fund commented:
"The 12th Man Fund is delighted to have contributed to Anthony's signing at a crucial stage of the season. He is an experienced, talented player who we are sure will do well for the club.
"We'd like to thank all the supporters who have contributed £25,000 to the fund since its inception, a sum massively in advance of what was originally envisaged by the organisers. Anthony's purchase is now the third squad addition the supporters have helped to fund.
"The 12th Man will continue to grow over the coming months and we encourage fans to continue to raise funds so we can aid the club to sign players of a similar calibre in the future."
At the same time, following a recent enquiry from another conference club, Luke Foster and Manager Chris Wilder have had discussions about the player's future and as a result of those discussions, the club can confirm that Luke Foster has been given permission to speak with other clubs during the January Transfer window.
Meanwhile the club can also confirm that Chris Carruthers and Marcus Kelly have left the club by mutual consent. Left back Carruthers and midfielder Kelly have spent recent months on loan at Blue Square Premier sides York City and Kettering Town respectively, and with the January transfer window now open an agreement has been reached to allow both players to leave.
