YELTZ boss John Hill says he's excited by the potential partnership between new strike arrivals James Spray and Luke Shearer.

Both have netted during Halesowen's pre-season programme, with Shearer again on the scoresheet during Tuesday night's 2-0 friendly win at home to Market Drayton.

Halesowen-born Spray arrived from neighbours Lye Town this summer after spells at AFC Telford, Stourbridge, Bedworth and Alvechurch since coming through the ranks at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Shearer ended last season at Sporting Khalsa after leaving Redditch United, where he bagged six goals in 10 games.

Hill said: "I have tried to get both of them before but finally the timing was right.

"They look like they are forming a good partnership up front and hopefully it's something the fans can look forward to.

"We still want to make sure we have strong competition in that area but I've been very pleased with how they have both done.

"I've been really impressed with James since he came in. He'll be the first to admit that he lost his way a little over the last few seasons but he's still only 24 and can really kick-on now."

The manager has been pleased with pre-season but says he's still in the hunt for three new additions in all areas of the pitch.

"The friendlies have gone well but I still think we're a few short from a squad point of view," he added.

"We've been looking at a lot of trialists because no-one wants to miss out on that one gem, but it doesn't always work out and CVs can be deceiving sometimes.

"The only game that went horribly wrong was the loss against Sporting Khalsa when we fielded a lot of trialists that weren't up to it.

"Overall, I've been happy with the business we've done but would say we need a defender, midfielder and forward to cover us in each area. Myself and Matt Clarke (assistant) are working hard to bring them in."

Hill was also quick to praise the volunteers at the club who have worked hard over the summer to improve the facilities at the Grove.

He said: "We asked for a better playing surface and we have that this year. A lot of people have worked hard to improve no only the pitch but a lot of other facilities at the ground. It's really important for us and we're very grateful to them."

The Yeltz will now take on Spalding United at home this Saturday for their final warm-up game before kicking-off the new Northern Premier League campaign at Workington a week later.