Hucknall Town manager Andy Ingle promises player update shortly as key duo sign for Carlton Town

Carlton Town have confirmed the signing of Hucknall Town duo Kieran Knight and Louis Kinnerley for the 2023/24 season.

The Millers, who play at Step four of the non-league pyramid, a level higher than Hucknall, wasted little time in swooping to secure the services of the two players ahead of the forthcoming league campaign.

Both Knight and Kinnerley played crucial roles in helping Hucknall Town secure promotion from the Uhlsport United Counties Division One league via the playoffs in the season that concluded at the end of last month.

Knight, who only joined the club at the start of the season, scored 18 times in all competitions, to finish as the club's second highest scorer.

Kinnerley, meanwhile, who spent five years at the club, firmly established himself as the club's number one goalkeeper this year with a string of excellent performances between the sticks. His penalty shootout heroics in both the play-off semi final against Bourne Town, and in the final against Birstall United, will live long in the memories of Yellows' fans and were vital in helping the club to emerge victorious on both occasions.     

The news follows top scorer Craig Westcarr's decision to leave the club after two years, citing a lack of communication from the management team as a major factor in opting to move on.

However, Hucknall's manager Andy Ingle doesn't seem too fazed by the situation. Late last week, speaking to the club's official website, he said: "We sat down as a coaching team and had some discussions about what we need going forward. A few things were taken out of our hands as three players had already decided to move on elsewhere so we had those conversations. Whilst it's always hard to lose players, especially when they have played a big part in our success, I also recognise that they need to think about their own playing careers and what they want going forwards, so we wish all three of them every success in the future.

"We are deep into discussions with existing players and also new players that we are interested in bringing in. These things don't happen overnight but I would expect to start making announcements on the retained list and newcomers probably in a week or so."

Hucknall's first pre-season friendly takes place at The RM Stadium on Saturday 8 July.