We have brought our pre-season recruitment to a close with the signing of experienced left back Adam Chicksen.
The 28-year-old, who has played the vast majority of his career in League One, has put pen-to-paper on a contract having spent the last week training with us.
And Chicksen says it was always his intention to earn a deal at Meadow Lane after being given the opportunity to take a closer look at the club.
"I know Greg Abbott from our Bradford days and I rang him with the hope of coming in and finding my love for football again," said the defender.
"I just wanted to show that I still had the passion and drive to come to a club that’s looking to push for something.
"This is an extremely professional club which as a whole is run better than some I’ve played for in League One. It’s been a breath of fresh air and it was a no-brainer to sign."
Chicksen has been without a club since January, when he was surprisingly released by League One side Bolton Wanderers.
"This has probably been the toughest period of my career," he admitted. "But it's made me even more driven than when I was 18. It was make or break for me.
"I've been waking up at 6am every day and going for a run, going to the gym – doing everything to keep me mentally prepared.
"I’m really happy to sign and to be able to now focus purely on the footballing side.
"The sharpness was there at Ilkeston but I also know I’ve got 30-40% more to catch up to.
"I’ve always had energy and fitness throughout my career. I want to get on the ball and show my quality and I’ll be up and down all game.
"I’m not going to do anything different to what I’ve done before – I’ll be running until my legs come off."
Our manager Neal Ardley added: “Chicks comes with a great pedigree of playing at a higher level. We’re really fortunate to be bringing in someone of his experience.
“He really enjoys going forward – he’s very athletic – and brings a lot of know-how. When the games are Saturday-Tuesday we’re looking forward to being able to use him and Damien McCrory wisely.
“At one stage we were a little concerned that we were looking light in the defensive area but now we feel we’ve got some really strong options there.
“Attracting players of Adam’s calibre is testament to the facilities we have here – the training ground, which the owners have done so brilliantly to develop, the stadium, the quality of the pitch – all these things make us an attractive proposition."