Mark Cooper has added further strength to his squad ahead of the big kick-off with the arrival of young defender Festus Arthur on a season-long loan deal from Hull City.
The highly rated 21-year-old centre-back joined the Championship outfit for an undisclosed fee last summer after excelling for Stockport County during his breakthrough season at Edgeley Park.
Arthur, who is also comfortable in the centre of midfield, actually made his National League debut for The Hatters in a 3-2 win over Barrow in the opening month of our 2019/20 promotion campaign.
The powerful and athletic youngster went on to blossom for County that year, making 35 appearances in all competitions and scoring twice as he became a huge favourite with the supporters.
The Hamburg-born star's high-calibre performances in a Stockport shirt earned him two Young Player of the Year awards at the end of that season and also drew plenty of interest from clubs in higher divisions.
Hull won the race for his signature when he penned a three-year deal last July, but Tigers boss Grant McCann is now keen for him to progress his development with some regular football in League Two.
“He’s big, he’s mobile, he can play in a couple of positions, he’s a talented footballer and I think he’s a good acquisition for our squad,” explained Bluebirds boss Mark Cooper.
“I watched him at Stockport, and I liked him. We had a little nibble at him when I was at Forest Green, but he was out of our reach really and he went to Hull, so I have kept track of him from then.
“It’s the right time for us because we’ve had an injury with James Jones and he's still not right, and we’re probably a little bit light in the defensive area of the pitch, so it seemed sensible to bring one in.
“I said before, I wasn’t going to just bring anyone in. We have had to be patient with Festus because we had to wait until Hull got a replacement and that patience has paid off.”
The paperwork on Arthur’s loan was submitted earlier today and he will be in contention to make his debut for the Club at Stevenage on Saturday, subject to approval from the EFL and FA.