BOWERS & Pitsea will be in as strong a place come the start of the new season as they were at the end of the last.

That is the view of manager Rob Small after he added three well-known faces to his squad over the weekend.

Midfielder John Bricknell, striker Michael Begg and defender Billy Sendall have all linked up with Bowers – all having Essex Senior League title-swinning experience under their belts.

Bricknell won the league with Stansted in 2011, and was part of the same successful team as now Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle. He later joined Enfield 1893 and fired in more than 30 goals from midfield to end as the Essex Senior League’s top scorer in 2014.

Sendall was also part of that Stansted team, and joins from Ryman One North Aveley, while Begg was part of the Concord Rangers side that won promotion from the league, having partnered now Canvey Island boss Danny Heale up front.

They joined on Saturday, after the departures of a number of key men last week.

Lewis Manor, scorer of 44 goals last term, joined Billericay Town, while Martin Llewellyn, Neil Marron, Dan Brown and Sean Hinton all left.

But Small thinks his new additions have put his squad in a strong position ahead of the new term.

“These new players are really exciting,” he said. “They have all won the league and having that experience will help us achieve what we want.

“They could all play at a higher level and the fact they are here shows they believe in what we can achieve and that is exciting.

“All the players who have left, aside from Lewis, were struggling with either work commitments or the busy schedule last season so maybe it has worked out for the best, even though they were all important squad members.

“It is impossible to replace 44 goals but Michael and John know where the goal is, this is for sure.”

Small admitted the new season would pose different challenges, after Bowers surprised everyone to finish second last year.

“People know what to expect now so we have to deal with that and make sure we are ready for it.”