Stratford Town bring in three

Experienced recruits

BetVictor Southern League Premier Division Central club Stratford Town have brought in three experienced recruits in Declan Benjamin, Luke Barlone and Luke Shearer.

Benjamin is a 29-year-old central midfielder who joins Town from Southern League Division One Central side Kidlington. He has a wealth of experience having re-joined Kidlington in 2018 from Redditch United. Started out at Oxford United and has gone on to represent Oxford City, Banbury United, Redditch and Didcot Town

Barlone, 32, returns to Stratford for a second spell from league rivals Redditch. A natural goalscorer and powerful striker, he re-joined Redditch in late August 2019. He had signed for then-Vanarama National League North side Nuneaton Borough in March 2019 from Total Motion Midland League neighbours Coventry Sphinx. Has also had spells with Atherstone United, Bedworth United, Shepshed Dynamo, Coleshill Town, Highgate United and Barwell, where he spent eight seasons, as well as Redditch and Stratford.

Shearer is a 25-year-old winger who is another who re-joined rivals Redditch in December 2019, this time from Midland League Premier Division side Boldmere St Michaels. He has a wealth of experience in the Midlands non-League scene but started his career as a trainee at Torquay United. Returned to the Midlands in 2010 to join Tamworth and spent a spell on loan at Barwell before making a permanent switch to Hednesford Town in August 2012. Moved to Romulus for the 2013/14 season and impressed with the Coles Lane-based outfit.

Spells with Bromsgrove Sporting and Alvechurch followed and the highly-rated forward was then snapped up by Redditch for the first time in December 2014. After a year-and-a-half with the Reds, helping them to challenge at the top of the Southern League Premier, he signed for Sporting Khalsa in the summer of 2016. He scored 6 goals in 10 games for the Midland League Premier Division outfit, earning a move up the non-League Pyramid to Hednesford in November 2016. A return to Sporting Khalsa followed before he linked up with Halesowen in June 2017. Another move, this time to Stourbridge, followed in October 2017 before he moved to Boldmere.

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